SniperVille 2

for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

23rd August 2014

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That blue laser and the special sound the sniper rifle makes is enough to make me cringe.

I know that I have to tread very carefully and one false move may mean my instant death.

In this mod, you test your skill in 3 very different maps.

Basic Details
  • Title: SniperVille 2
  • File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-mc-sniperville-2.7z
  • Size : 17.3MB
  • Author: Jacob Heywood, Jason Gimba & Neil AKA Guitarman
  • Date Released: 23 August 2014
MapTap Users

Download directly into MapTap [17.3MB]

You MUST have MapTap installed before using this link.

Download Options

Download to your HDD [17.3MB]

You can still use it with MapTap once you have downloaded it.

Manual Installation Instructions
  • Copy the Sniperville2 folder into your SourceMods folder.
  • Restart or start Steam.
  • Sniperville2 should now be listed in your Library tab.

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

Custom Grid View Icon

The file above comes with two grid view icons. To use one, select “Grid View” in Steam (top right corner). Make sure you have saved the image to a location on your computer – you can’t use it from the compressed archive directly. Right click on “SniperVille 2” and select “Set Custom Image”. Then browse to where you saved the image and choose it. Then click “Set Image” and that’s it.

Of course, you can create your own custom image if you prefer.

About the SniperVille 2 Theme

For this competition, you must create a map that features a sniper or snipers as the main gameplay element.

As you may have guessed from the name, this is the second SniperVille competition I have run. It might be a good idea if entrants play that first.

I don’t want to give you too many ideas, but don’t limit yourself to putting the sniper in the top floor of a building. Perhaps your setting is a forest, where the sniper moves around (within reason), perhaps there two snipers, perhaps you can never kill him, just avoid him. Perhaps you need him to clear the path for you like in Episode One.

Perhaps you are running through the streets and he is behind you. Or you are on a train and there are various snipers on the sides.

What I am trying to say is think outside the box.

VMFs

If an entrant supplied a VMF file for other mappers to look at, it’s in the VMF folder. You DO NOT have permission to use the VMF file as base for a publicly released map without PRIOR written permission from the author.

Entries

The entries within are listed as they are in the mod:

Dead Eyes by Jacob Heywood
“Stop, Thief!” by Jason Gimba
On the Rooftops by Neil AKA Guitarman (screenshots will be added soon)

Prize

1st Place: A $5 Steam game.

Menu Music

Train Jacker by Room Of Wires from their album Asylum Sneaker on the FreeMusicArchive.Org website.

Credits

The PlanetPhillip.Com intro video was made by Spartan301
Also, thanks to the authors and The BetaTestersCollective.Com for testing the mod package.

Time to vote

Before voting, please consider how well the map fitted the theme of the competition.
Voting closes Sunday 31st August.

Screenshots

Click on the tabs below to select the size of screenshot you would like.
All sizes are the same screenshots, just in different resolutions.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.

Screenshots of “On the Rooftops” will be added soon.

1024 x 576

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

1366 x 768

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

1600 x 900

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: 3 (out of 5), standard deviation: 2.12 (what's that?)
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Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 16 comment(s) with meta review data.

Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 12 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 51 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 20 Mins by Daken50
Longest: 1 Hours, 39 Mins by Pedro_The_Swift
Total Time Played: 13 Hours, 39 Mins
Categories (?)
Half-Life 2: Ep2 HL2-EP2 Mods Play
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Jump to a review
Phillip says Play It!Play It LaterPlay It Now!Avoid It!Play It LaterAvoid It!Think TwicePlay It Now!Think TwiceThink TwiceMaybe?Maybe?Play It Now!Think TwiceThink TwicePlay It LaterAvoid It!

40 Comments

  1. PlanetPhillip
    Phillip says Play It!
    Dead Eyes

    This was my favourite from the 3, as it offers the exact kind of gameplay I like from Snipers: No easy options to run past, slow careful progress and the ability to kill them.

    The environment is rich and detailed, has a good combination of indoor and outdoor areas and contains some memorable sections.

    “Stop Thief!”

    As interesting as it was and not counting the replay value, I found this entry too frustrating. You have to give credit to the concept and its implementation, but if that concept is not much fun to play, at least for me, then there’s not much else to say.

    On The Rooftops

    This entry is obviously from a new mapper and displays many errors. That said, he actually finished and released something and hoping that he accepts the criticism openly can only get better.

    Firstly, it suffers from the usual new mapper syndrome of not being planned out very well. It’s no fun just rushing around hoping to not get shot while trying to reach the next section.

    Next, it’s way to basic in its detail.

    Lastly, it wasn’t that much fun to play and that needs to be the first thing designed.

    Conclusion

    I have to admit I am disappointed in the number of entries considering how much fun the first SniperVille was. I had planned to re-visit some other themes but maybe that’s not such a good idea now.

    Anyway, Dead Eyes and “Stop Thief!” were excellent entries in their own way and I suppose it’s better to have two very good maps than 5 bad ones.

    Don’t you agree?

    Installed:
    Using Gauge
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    40 Minutes
    Reply
    1. Ade

      Sorry to ask, but why put your playtime at 40m when the sum of your twitch vids say 67m?

      Reply
      1. PlanetPhillip

        Because 1, there’s a lot of wasted time in the videos and 2 I don’t feel a Twitch playthrough fairly represent a normal playthrough.

        Reply
        1. Ade

          You can argue that there’s a lot of wasted time in any first playthrough, though. And I don’t see how a twitch video is not representative, I mean why do it then?

          Reply
          1. PlanetPhillip

            I am arguing that the actual time of playing is not the same as the video since there are sections at the beginning and at the end. Yes, not 27 minutes but some. Also, I believe that a private playthrough and a Twitch/Live Stream is very different. You may disagree but that’s up to you, I feel it and adjusted my MetaData to reflect that.

            Reply
  2. ihonnyboy
    Play It Later

    Dead Eye:
    I had high hopes for this one. The intro was solid, there were secrets all around, it looked like there were multiple paths, and the snipers were a real threat. But the last point start to become a crunch. Numerous times I got killed by three snipers all firing super-fast, and through cover! For a while I didn’t even know where they were! Some of this can be chocked up to the levels layout. Some the corridors were way to tight and cluttered. Even outside was cluttered. Visuals it was a little cluttered as well; I didn’t know where to focus or look. The author could of addressed the visual clutter with some color correction, hdr adjustment, or some light fog closer to the player. Which reminds me, I saw some screenshots on interlopers, and I meant to comment, but I never got around to it. Fog doesn’t mesh well with the skybox–I’m not really sure why–so if you want to make it transition to the skybox better, try using a color that matches the sky’s color. Oh, the prop shadows were tinted blue as well, this is a known glitch and can be fixed with a shadow controller. Overall, this map had some nice moments, but got frustrating toward the end when there were way to many enemies.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/3eor74hakmpyfo5/ihon_dead_1.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/epyp48fmfdfdfx1/ihon_dead_2.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/f92wfcj2h6cpsg3/ihon_dead_3.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/w6zgnu5f4wsw09j/ihon_dead_4.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/lw1t32itd0wvzpd/ihon_dead_5.dem?dl=0

    “stop thief!”
    I really enjoyed this one. JG talked to me about this as he was developing it, and i liked the way it turned out. The presentation was nice, and visuals were great. The turret got a little wonky, though. Might want to talk to marnamai about that. The “distractions” were a little bit to frequent and repetative as well. I liked the water fall, and distracting sounds. But I just wanted to kill those stupid scanners! I felt if the strider kept walking it might have felt a little better too. As it stand it seems the thief has bribed the combine πŸ™‚ The headcrab was a bit annoying too, it felt like it spawned right in attack range. I did get it too jump out the window, though. So, that was cool. I also really liked that all the gnomes fell out when you killed the thief. Overall, it has its flaws, but I liked it. I played it several times too, just to see what would happen.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/5vvrxolz9vx8k4o/ihon_theif.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjc8uodfy78buyy/ihon_theif2.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/l7i9y3mgag9hiej/ihon_theif3.dem?dl=0

    On the rooftops
    Seeing the sky through a door, non-invisible sniper, trapped in a kill-zone, odd brushwork. I’m sorry pal, I wished I could have given your map the attention it deserved. By the look of things, it seemed you wanted the player to use the gravity gun to pick up a live grenade and kill the sniper. I like the idea, but it appers to have glitched a little. If that was you idea I recomend looking into the input “throwgernadeattarget” and the entity “logic_timer.” I’m sorry I couldn’t finish it.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/9b91f465pyoamfe/ihon_roof_1.dem?dl=0
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3w69g0875vbi0y/ihon_roof_2.dem?dl=0

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour
    Reply
  3. Captain Host
    Play It Now!

    I’m going to be short with my reviews:

    Dead Eyes
    This one was really great. It had the hardcore-ish feel from the beggining. It felt really deadly and you could feel the build up. By the end, your skills are really pushed to the limit. Some might find it frustrating, but I really liked it. It also looked really good. Definitely my favorite.

    Stop Thief!
    This one felt weird for me. I didn’t find much fun in it, though I really admire the concept and what Jason was able to achieve with it. I’d say the only highlight is the replayability and the idea.

    On the rooftops
    It was noticeably a beginner map. Bugs, weird stuff and not much fun. Looked simple. I finished it, and the only thing I can say is “meh”.
    If the author is reading this, you could try making something completely new, but I’d recommend that you actually pick up your map again, and improve it, then release it as a Modder’s Cut, like Abraham did with his DefendVille map. You should try to gain experience with this.

    Dead Eyes makes the mod. Jason’s map is ok, but it’s really up to your personal taste. On the rooftops needed a lot more work, but I thank the author for his effort nonetheless.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour
    Reply
  4. AniCator
    Avoid It!

    Entry 1: Dead Eyes
    I kept getting stuck on things and enemies were just around every corner, in my face. The map lacked good pacing and I was upset that I wasn’t even allowed to explore the area after I killed the snipers. It just cut to black.
    It might be more fun when you know the layout of the map but in general it is just full of random props that you bump into and you end up being cornered by both the snipers and the NPCs.

    Entry 2: “Stop Thief!”
    The best one in my opinion. It achieved what it set out to do and it was quite fun. Sadly it is just a gimmick but it wasn’t frustrating. The only thing that bothered me is that it was a bit difficult to aim the sniper rifle when you weren’t standing right behind it.

    Entry 3: On The Rooftops
    *slow clap* Someone thought it would be fun to mess with us. This map has got to be a joke or the mapper really is new to modding.
    Healthchargers and healthkits that are just prop_physics. BSP geometry misaligned around every corner. Buildings extending below and beyond the road.
    No weapons to kill the snipers with. A useless crossbow weapon and an elevator that you can walk straight through.

    Sadly this is one of the worst Ville’s I have played so far.
    My reviews are rather low quality because I don’t really feel like writing up elaborate ones right now.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    25 Minutes
    Reply
  5. Neo Kabuto
    Play It Later

    Overall, I’d say it’s worth your time just because the whole collection is rather small, so it won’t take up very much time (assuming you don’t get stuck on On The Rooftops).

    Dead Eyes

    I have the least to say about this map just because it was good! My only complaint was that I wasn’t sure where to go at first in the area with the sludge (I thought I needed to use the wood props to cross it, not to climb the fence). I enjoyed it, especially taking out the bridge (I laughed when that happened).

    “Stop Thief!”

    Putting us into the position of the sniper instead of the victim (snipee?) was a great twist on the theme. It reminded me a little of the Game and Wario “Fruit” minigame crossed with Silent Scope (that’s a good thing), with the former’s idea of carefully watching a group of people to find the one who stole something and the latter’s sniping action. I’d genuinely enjoy it being expanded into a full mod where we have more situations to snipe in and more things to watch out for, since the short length of it was the only thing I didn’t like.

    I’d like to thank the mapper for not making it a “one shot one kill” setup. The aiming is a bit confusing at first, but I figured it out and didn’t miss the second shot. If missing (and not hitting anyone) was game over, I would’ve been really frustrated.

    On The Rooftops

    This map needs a lot of work. It starts off with the player in a room with no working doors, just some trash cans. You’re expected to stack props to get on to the roof above, but I wasn’t even sure this was the intended solution when I did it (maybe you could make the first props already stacked, so you know what to do the other times? You might be able to use lighting to help guide the player too).

    This confusion was a common feeling throughout the map. I kept feeling unsure of what I was supposed to do, and then not sure if what I did was correct (stacking boxes made me feel like I was breaking the map, but I didn’t see another way). Climbing the wall to get into the Combine ambush was not very successful for me (the sniper had hit me, there definitely needs to be more cover and some health before so I don’t die instantly). I figured out a trick to survive the ambush, but it’s still a huge pain to try to climb the fence (and the wall the fence connects to needs to be higher so players can’t get on it and see outside the map). Then I got to a point where I couldn’t seem to progress any further (the office area), leaving the question “where do I go next?”. There was an elevator after that point, but it would not go down (and didn’t collide with the player, so I was able to fall down the shaft, oops).

    The sniper lead to the gameplay being mostly playing dodge the bullet while you stack boxes, which wasn’t that fun. There needed to be some cover we could rely on, but I feel like the idea of the map needs to be changed a bit to truly be enjoyable.

    A slightly annoying thing was giving the players a crossbow. Most of us playing are experienced HL players, so we know it shouldn’t kill the sniper, but it seemed odd handing us a powerful weapon when the only enemy we have to use it on is one that will kill us instead if we even try to hit them (I hit him anyways, incase you set up a trigger). The crossbow also seems to be next to an empty supply crate, which was rather disappointing.

    For a new mapper, the brushwork is functional enough (I noticed a small gap in the base of the stairwell, but that’s the only outright mistake I saw as far as I made it). The details need a lot more work (for example, the fluorescent lights are oddly red, the sniper’s building has a texture not aligned right, and the roof textures used a lot don’t make sense for a flat roof), but for a new mapper on a deadline, it’s not that bad. I would definitely be willing to try it again if you made an improved version.

    Installed:
    Using Gauge
    Difficulty Played At:
    Hard
    Playtime:
    1 Hour, 10 Minutes
    Reply
  6. Ade
    Avoid It!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4W3T4_q26o
    I agree with AniCator, this is the worst Ville so far, all entries are absurdly unfair.

    I’m surprised I completed the first one, as it’s really hard, and in the end you’re spammed with 10 enemies while turning a slow 4$$ valve, then realize 1 sniper commited suicide, and a well placed rocket destroys the entire bridge thingy cus… cookies? All the way throughout the map you’re shot from impossible angles, with very few safe places to be in, 0 time to figure them out as everything is in your face and you can’t see beyond 2 feet away and plan out anything, no obvious route layed out for you by the author, and while there are alternate routes to various weapons, you risk your life getting them anyway so they’re not worth it. It is map wise the best from the pack, not just cus it’s bigger, but I see it has potential and with some work, it can get somewhere in a later release. I just hope people would make something more polished instead of releasing something longer and barely playable.

    The 2nd was no fun and the author should know better and come up with more clever ways to interrupt the player (the CP for instance was nice) than spawning headcrabs behind him, that’s unforgiveable. And what was weird was that the idea seemed familiar, and I couldn’t shake that feeling. Maybe the author had this planned for the initial SniperVille, who knows. Oh and the alarm was frustrating because it gave me the impression that a gnome had been stolen but upon checking and seeing all 6 were still there, made me feel that there was some other gnome that I missed. And the minutes text was also confusing, since all gnomes were again all in place. And the actual weapon was wonky, please see Marnamai’s entry for The Forgotten Journey comp for a good example of using the rifle. This was a silly entry that I personally did not get or enjoy.

    3rd map requires stacking/ggun jumping and running, with no apparent way to complete. Easily skippable, there’s no fun to be had except the author’s fun when reading the frustration we have when finding unusable health charger, hpacks and a crossbow that won’t work on the God damn snipers.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    45 Minutes
    Reply
    1. Miigga

      There were 9 gnomes, not just 6

      Reply
      1. Ade

        Yea I saw that in PP’s playthrough, it’s really just one specific spot to sit in and notice all 9, which is hard to get, a pixel hunt actually when you’re on a time constraint with constant interruptions from behind.

        Reply
  7. TolisXTRM
    Think Twice

    SniperVille 2 for Half-Life 2 Episode Two

    Very, very disappointing.

    DEAD EYES
    Where do I begin with this one. I didn’t like it at all. There were a lot of enemies popping up in my face like screamers, and when I tried to hide in every damn spot I could find, the snipers could still hit me.

    “STOP, THIEF!”
    This one is probably my favorite one since the sniper element is used pretty well. I also liked the humorous aspect about it. Still though, if you take some time finding the thief, then headcrabs and Metrocops will attack you, which is also really annoying.

    ON THE ROOFTOPS
    For this map I will give some credit to the maker because even though he is new to mapping, he still had the guts to get his entry posted.

    Now, on to the map. It’s really clumsy and annoying, and you can see that right in the beginning. I really liked the concept, running on the rooftops with snipers shooting you, kinda like Mirror’s Edge, but this one is not the case. There are a lot of times where you have to stop, get something, pile up the props and then get moving. I didn’t enjoy this one either. It should have been much more tested.

    Overall, this was a very disappointing competition, since I expected much more from the maps and the Sniper aspect. Play this at your own cause.

    Reply
  8. TolisXTRM

    I really hope the quality of the competitions improve.

    Reply
  9. Pedro_The_Swift
    Play It Now!

    Dead Eyes was Great! Exactly how a sniper map should play. All the false trails just make you think a bit harder πŸ˜‰ getting hit by all three snipers at the same instant never gets dull!
    A big thankyou to all three Mappers!

    Installed:
    Using Gauge
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour, 39 Minutes
    Reply
  10. Dysprogue
    Think Twice

    Dead Eyes

    I felt there was too much going on here being sniped from both sides made it hard to keep track of everything and with the decreased sniper paint interverals this began to feel unfair. The toxic goo section in particular lacked cover and I really don’t know if there was a proper way across I ended up having to rush a lot of the map which really didn’t feel right. Some of the enemies force you to run about, with snipers in the mix this causes a lot of death.
    I love the feeling of tension in maps unfortunately I felt this fell on the frustrating side of tense.
    The first half of the map is pretty good, it plays well and looks decent, but I feel it kind of breaks down after the antlion section.

    Stop Thief

    I like the idea, it’s kind of a Spy Party vibe. The first time I played this I just shot the first person I saw and I won, I’m guessing that’s just luck. The second time I played it as I think it was meant to be played and I found and shot the thief in about a minute. I like the idea but I think it’s an idea that would probably work in either a full on mod or a different game because there wasn’t much depth to it. The second time the thief was alone in the room with a stolen gnome so it was quite obvious but I think this is the problem with randomization, even the quality isn’t consistent.

    On the Rooftops

    The map doesn’t have enough cover and things like crate stacking are kind of delicate and really awkward to do when you’ve got a sniper on you and you’re out in the open. Especially when the sniper can break the crates leaving the player stranded. I had to actually cheat to complete this map because all I had was an smg with no bullets when I got to the manhack section. I’ve assumed that the map is over when you reach the elevator. So I nocliped around to check I wasn’t missing anything and it turns out I missed the gravity gun right near the start which would have made the manhack section fairly easy. The author also somehow managed to make the health items unusable which is annoying as hell.
    Stacking bins to get up is annoying because they tumble really easy and this is really frustrating when you’re being shot at and have no cover.

    Summary

    Every entry has a very different take on the theme which I like but I wasn’t a fan of the maps themselves. There were some cool ideas but they were either over ambitious or just lacking in execution.

    Reply
    1. PlanetPhillip

      The second time the thief was alone in the room with a stolen gnome so it was quite obvious

      I played “Stop Thief!” about 4 times and in my experience being alone with a stolen gnome wasn’t a guide to whether he stole it. By the time I looked the thief could have left and another person entered.

      Reply
      1. AniCator

        I usually spotted the thief right after he stole it because he usually walked out of the room after having stolen the gnome. :p Might just be my brain thinking there is a pattern though.

        Reply
      2. Dysprogue

        Breen was alone in the room with a gnome at first glance and at second glance he was alone in the room without a gnome. Simples πŸ™‚

        But my bad for not contextualizing that properly.

        Reply
      3. JG

        The Thief doesn’t steal every Gnome he comes across. It’s slightly higher than a 50% chance that he’ll steal a Gnome upon entry. So, you can’t dismiss a suspect as the Thief just because the next room they went to was left intact.

        Obviously, this gets complicated when there are more individuals in a room, but one rule of thumb is that the Thief will always take off the moment the Gnome gets stolen whereas anyone else will continue to be standing.

        The Thief can also steal a Gnome right in front of you – it’s not based on where you are looking.

        Reply
        1. PlanetPhillip

          So, you can’t dismiss a suspect as the Thief just because the next room they went to was left intact.

          I didn’t.

          Reply
        2. Dysprogue

          Having seen Phillips playthrough I think I just got very lucky, I didn’t actually realize there were more than 6 windows.

          Reply
    2. JG

      Dead Eyes would have benefit from a BlockLOS pass. Because the obstructions are cobbled together from a bunch of random props – some of which have very crude collision hulls – you’re going to get some gaps in the collision that Snipers can unexpectedly shoot through. You really need to cover the entire obstruction with a BlockLOS so it’s clear to the player that this is a safe area if that’s the designer’s intent.

      In Forest Train, all the cars in front of the Sniper have BlockLOS around them so the Sniper can’t shoot through the windows when he normally could. It’s not fair otherwise – the cars are obviously there as cover and if the player does what they are expected to do, they shouldn’t get grazed by a bullet just because the car window is 40 units from the ground instead of 48. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. MisterAddy
    Think Twice

    ● Dead Eyes
    The snipers were definitely the biggest threat in the map, but I don’t think it was designed with this in mind. In some parts I felt that the only viable option was to sprint through a large vulnerable area and try to take as little damage as possible. The result of this is that the map feels overwhelming when there are snipers in more than one direction, as well as zombies and headcrabs rushing the player. It should always be possible to avoid being damaged by snipers but the layout here didn’t accommodate that.

    In terms of visuals, the skybox and colour palette give the level an interesting stylised look. Whilst there is a lot of detail, the area didn’t seem to make sense to me due to a lot of out of place props (eg. the crane, and canal gates in the middle of dry land) and the intended route was sometimes poorly signposted.

    The end was a bit disappointing, in spite of the physics destruction element, because we didn’t get to take out the other snipers or have the chance to explore the map without having to avoid them.

    ● Stop Thief!
    Interesting idea. I was hoping we would see a map where the player gets to be the sniper. The gameplay idea of working out whodunnit is great but it feels a bit unfinished; some tweaks are needed like having the thief play a “stealing” animation rather than the gnomes just disappearing.

    The “parade of constant interruptions” (as Magnusson would put it) got a bit frustrating by the end, especially the headcrabs.

    ● On the Rooftops
    This is obviously a beginner’s first map and I can’t recommend anyone play it. But rather than criticizing the author it is much more helpful to give some constructive tips to help them improve.

    Firstly, try and draw out a rough layout for your map on paper before you start – think about where the enemies will be and how the areas will connect.

    Make sure you build your architecture on the Hammer grid and try to use standard sizes (multiples of 128) for your brushes as much as possible. This will help avoid having gaps and misaligned buildings and is crucial for a good compile.

    Have a look at this tutorial on how to use the sniper entity correctly. forum.interlopers.net/viewtopic.php?t=8218

    Always provide enough cover for the player and make sure it’s not possible for them to get stuck (for example if the crates that they need to stack can be destroyed).

    Look up a tutorial on optimization. Instead of having your map take place in a big skybox cube, proper optimization is a must as your maps get more complex and detailed.

    —

    I hate to give a bad recommendation to any PlanetPhillip competition, but I don’t think that many people will enjoy playing these maps. Stop Thief would be my choice for a winner, but it’s not enough to justify a download for the average player.

    I’m sure it’s not a problem with the theme as I suspect the number of entries is normally down to how many mappers are available at the time.

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  12. Stef
    Maybe?

    To be honnest I Didn’t finish ‘On the Rooftops’ Looking at the video from Ade after I get stuck really just put in advence that: ”play time should be good time” and reload bunch of time with no really reward after (including the design in the next area) is a waste…of gaming time, Sorry
    so my average time just include the 2 first ones
    Dead Eyes was for me the best one in a good mix between challenge and reward
    Stop Thief was just too short, Idea and set of it was just clean i would have hope like a final scene of an adventure and not just a single short experience

    To be honest quite disapionted with the entry but everyone should give it at try πŸ˜‰

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  13. dougjp
    Maybe?

    I’ve never seen a competition with such varied results. Here we have Dead Eyes, a PIN if I ever saw one, and high on the scale as well, having to endure being in an overall rating of “Maybe?” because there are two “Avoid It!” maps included in the package. Stop Thief, a cute idea that lasts all of 10 seconds and surprisingly that’s not much less time until the game is over as well. On The Rooftops, well what can I say as its a complete disaster in terms of gameplay, and I hope the author rips it up and starts with a clean slate for his second map.

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  14. Hec
    Play It Now!

    OK. Overall first I have to state clear that I give this Ville competition a PN recommendation because I just like the “Sniper” concept, maybe to beat Hunters and Snipers in HL2 is my favorite “skill” into HL2 combat, and therefore I prefer that kind of combat than beat Striders, Helicopters or Gunships.

    Now making a quick review of this competition as a whole, well definitely was a bland one. Just 3 entries and honestly the only one that’s really worthy is the first map, also because of that map, I guess I also give this Play it Now recomm.

    So lets review each entry:

    Dead Eyes by Jacob Heywood

    This one was very cool to play, and at least for me it was fun and quite clever in many parts. Basically its charm comes from the nice layout and progression in this big map. Details are carefully done and it has a quite an OK quality.

    This is how a sniper part into a bigger mod should be, and it made me remind to the fantastic and must play “Overawe” mod, basically if you want to kill the sniper swine, you just have to be very patient, hid your head very well and wait for the right moment to make your move.

    Now I know many people complains about the overall difficulty in this map, and I can not deny the fact that it is difficult indeed (those headcrabs and zombies also are a big hindrance in the way) , so be warn!! This map is not like having a picnic day precisely. But if you like beat snipers like me, you’re gonna absolutely like it. Also this is a well deserved winner and I am absolutely sure about voting the first place for this entry.

    β€œStop, Thief!” by Jason Gimba

    Sure Mr. JG, has deliver so much better products than this one. Like its terrific entry on Defend Ville, or the now little classic Forrest Train. But in this competition, well, I felt his entry was sort of like a mini-game.

    And let me tell you: actually, be able as a gamer to shoot the Sniper rifle in HL2 is a celestial gift that not many modders dare to offer. Just play the fantastic “Overflow” mod [available for now in Mod DB], to see how a perfect use for the usable Sniper rifle is actually offer into a HL2 mod. Here JG offer us the quite unique chance to use the Sniper gun but is in my humble opinion totally wasted by that kind of silly “shoot the burglar” dynamic.

    Nevertheless this is obviously the 2nd place in this competition, and maybe I’d have preferred to have some other JG’s work related to snipers, maybe closer to the concept of the first entry, for sure the Forest Train sniper part was a million times better than this entry, and I’m sure if that would have been the case, JG then would have offered a surely cooler entry than this “shoot the fish in a barrel” style map.

    On the Rooftops by Neil Britton

    The whole feeling on this one, is simple: what the freakin bloody heck was that???? Almost no words for this entry: absolutely unfinished, way too hard and annoying, horrid layout and just that, an ugly unpolished unfinished map.

    NEVERTHELESS it looks like an interesting project I hope the author keeps working on it. And I also can perceive its main flaw was simple: be very ambitious for a short time competition.

    So in CONCLUISON: I think this is a nice comp. just because I like the “sniper” concept, BUT from my point of view I feel the whole PP. Competitions concept really needs to rest!!! at least for a month or two. Because is now getting quite repetitive and sometimes very narrow minded, or focused into just one big restrictive asset or topic in HL2 gameplay terms.

    I have recommended many times that a quite more open competition should be quite more interesting and maybe even more attractive to modders, and what I mean by that is just to open the mapping possibilities instead of the gameplay features restrictions. Just look at the quite successful and very interesting Interlopers.net competition, where the goal was simple. Make a map with a heavily HL2 spirit. The results are nice, and I am eager to be able to play all of those entries available, where of course the fantastic “Overflow” map that I talked about is there.

    So again, I think launching competitions based on scenarios or HL2 places could be so much better for the health of the competitions; and again, I’d love to play maybe some “Urban Ville” or “City # Ville”, also “Coast Ville” or “Citadel Ville” competitions because I think that would be perfect to connect the maps to a HL2 spirit, and see what many clever authors would offer with more liberty to create than just follow a narrow concept which it can be highly restrictive.

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    1. PlanetPhillip

      I have recommended many times that a quite more open competition should be quite more interesting and maybe even more attractive to modders

      By having an open competition you remove the creative limitation that modders enjoy. Simply having a regular open competition would not work. Modders would not enter because they make their own maps anyway. The competition are to encourage creative solutions to the limitations in the theme. I freely admit that some competitions don’t have great results but that’s not always because of the theme.

      The Interlopers competition was successful but look at the entrants. They are not the people who normally enter map comps and I bet if I had run EXACTLY the same theme, with the same time constraints I wouldn’t have got the same number of quality of maps. I believe they entered BECAUSE it was an Interlopers comp and they wanted to support their site.

      I’ve run “simple” theme before and the results have been mixed. I can’t say this enough, but every modder I talk to wants different types of themes.

      The next comp will either be location or gameplay themed.

      Reply
      1. Hec

        Ok. I can see all your points Phillip, your arguments seems to be fair enough, you’re right and now that I think I guess is kind of difficult to judge which comp has been the best so far (maybe the 1st sniper or hunter comps).

        But I have to confess i didn’t know interlopers.net was a very important technical mapping website, I actually found that site due to its competition.

        Reply
    2. JG

      I basically approach Phillip’s contests like research and development. It’s a chance to experiment with different ideas, locations, texture schemes and entity use in a context that could produce something capable of distribution. Most of these maps end up being short, as a result, and not worthy of being distributed on their own.

      As is the case with R&D, some things work, some things don’t. I think the evidence is quite clear that Stop, Thief was in the “didn’t work” category. The distractions were way too aggressive and mostly unnecessary. However, I can’t help that some people were vehemently opposed to the “minigame” nature of it. I, for one, hate Sniper gameplay and, anticipating that there’d probably be a flood of traditional Sniper maps, I wanted to do the “Anti-Sniper” map that would be a nice pallet cleanser. Obviously, that doesn’t work so hot when there’s only two other entries.

      There were some technical things about Stop, Thief that were proven or dispelled, however. These are the sorts of things that will find their way into a future map at some point, I’m sure.

      Reply
      1. Salamancer

        Given ten days, if you attempt something other than a cut and dry sniper map, it either works or it doesn’t. There’s no time to restructure or replan an idea, nevertheless polish it.
        Since a lot of mapmaking is just time and legwork (e.g. lighting, detailing), you either output whatever you build (regardless of if it works) or you dump it entirely. It just isn’t feasible to dump an idea and start again on day 5, and still hope to have a competitive chance.
        I fear a lot of would-be entrants did the latter when their unique take on the idea fell flat.
        Props to you JG for outputting something truly unique.

        Reply
      2. Hec

        You know what JG? I haven’t seen it that way. I mean, as the anti-sniper entry, and i think overall that’s a cool concept, as we as gamers usually are got used to be the sniper victim, but not to be the sniper, and I just loved to be the sniper guy!!!!! Maybe that’s why i enjoyed the overflow interlopers map so much.

        So I truely hope JG, that maybe in some future you allow us as gamers to be the sniper guy in one of your mods, because that just kick ass, i mean i’d love to be a rebel sniper killing CMB soldiers or even some hunters, you know, like making the CMB just piss off by being the sniper, maybe to help the resistance. I know the Crossbow is like the “main” sniping weapon in Hl2 but the sniper rifle just have its own lovely charm that no other weapon in Hl2 can offer.

        Reply
  15. brianthesnail
    Think Twice

    i thought it was just me,however it seems im not the only person who is dissapointed with this competition
    every “ville” has at least one ( and most of the time two or three ) great entries however this one had just one decent map which wasnt that good really
    DEAD eyes was the only decent map …. however it really didnt give you a chance to investigate the area,s as the sniper must of been in the sas(special air service ) trying to take your head off at any chance
    STOP thief was too short and not that enjoyable …. i suppose it would of been better if the idea of being the sniper was included in a larger map ( with the end being when you attempted to kill the thief )
    on the rooftops was average and didnt do anything for me .. but you could tell it was done by a new mapper …
    overall the worst competition so far …. may of been the time frame or the type of game …. hopefully the next comp will be better

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  16. Unq
    Think Twice

    As most have said before me, overall kind of a disappointing result to this competition. Still, there are some interesting aspects of the maps.

    Dead Eyes was solid overall but a bit of a mixed bag. It’s an awful lot of avoid-the-snipers even though it’s not terribly clear where they’re camped (especially later on, where you get into a position where they are on both sides of you). Thankfully there were some respites here and there that provided decent rest stops and often health and ammo. It can be a bit frustrating, but as usual quicksave is your friend. The section with the slowest door in the world required a few tries before I found a tactic that worked. In the end there’s a nice payoff. In general, a decently designed but sometimes frustrating map that could use some polish.

    I really liked the idea behind Stop, Thief! It’s always nice to see mappers experiment a bit, and I think Phillip’s challenges offer a perfect opportunity to make maps that might otherwise not get made. Sometimes Stop, Thief! was enjoyable (e.g. if you have a decent idea who it might be as you go along) and sometimes it was frustrating (e.g. the headcrabs keep coming at the worst times to interrupt you). A nice idea, and with some development and iteration, could be a very nifty minigame-type map.

    I didn’t like On the Rooftops. It felt broken, it was incredibly unfair in the sniper placement and the amount of cover available. Not fun at all, sorry.

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  17. Mega Sean 45

    Wow! “Stop, Thief!” is underrated! I’m obsessed with that map! I’d make a separate walkthrough for it if I want to! Just wondering, who is it that’s stealing the gnomes? Plus, the distractions make the game more challenging, which I find to be fun!

    For the person that made that map: make a mod of it, with several different maps! πŸ˜€

    Reply
  18. 1Lucia

    I love the snipers in this game, so I was pretty hyped for this ville (now that I found it years later).

    Dead Eyes
    It is great!

    Liked the looks, gameplay, and ideas in this one. Very well made and fun map. SPOILER FOR THIE MAP ALERT: I did not expect the bridge to collapse!

    Stop, Thief!
    It is WOW!

    This is such an awesome idea! The gameplay was 10/10. Although don’t play this on hard difficulty, the headcrabs do so much damage that the metrocop will later 1 hit you. The interuptions were a nice feature, the rain was making the room more cozy, and that the thief is always someone random is cool!

    Rooftops
    It is bad

    Unfinished, broken, not fun, with leaks. I didn’t finish this but this is not a good map.

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    1. PlanetPhillip

      Do you want to add an overall Recommendation Image? If so, tell me and I’ll add it.

      Reply
      1. 1Lucia

        Oh, yes, I forgot to re-add that one. (My browser crashed once and I had to paste it back in) I will give a “Play it now!” πŸ™‚

        Reply
  19. Steve
    Play It Later
    Dead Eyes
    It is great!

    Wow. Never have I played such a stressful map and loved it. Yes, this is a cunning map with some awesome design that offers lots of twists and turns. The only part I didn’t like was the wheel turn near the end but I hate anything like that lol. The ending method to blow up the snipers was great but it ended too quickly then. I’d have liked to use this rocket launcher on the remaining zombies and spiders and the other snipers… Otherwise, a brilliant map!!!

    Stop Thief!
    It is bad

    This is one of those moments when I just don’t get what others raved on about.
    So, I replayed and still didn’t feel the love. πŸ˜•
    Sorry, but I got no fun from this and found it irritating.

    On The Rooftops
    It is bad

    Okay, a new mapper back then who needed to start somewhere but it’s incredibly bland, buggy and offers no enjoyment. I genuinely hope the author takes on board what folk have said here to come back stronger.

    Wow this was a disappointing Ville for me. However, having said that, Dead Eyes was an incredible adventure. Never have I taken so long on one map and I loved every second. This makes the Ville worth downloading imho.
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  20. Daken50
    Avoid It!

    Didn’t enjoy any of them.

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