The terraformation of Xen has begun. The planet now supports a breathable oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and earth-like gravity. A scientific facility called the Xeno Project has been set up on the planet for continuing research into portal technology. Tension on the planet is running high due to the secrecy surrounding the project and the military’s distrust of the scientific community.
You are Gordon Freeman. Your mission is to report to the underground test lab at the Xeno Project.
This was August 2016’s Classic of the Month mod.
Basic Details
- Title: The Xeno Project 1
- Filename: hl1-sp-the-xeno-project-folder.7z
- Original Filename: lmtxp_install_v2.exe
- Size : 3.80MB
- Author: Loki’s (Mr White)
- Date Released: 01 January 2002
- Related: The Xeno Project 2
Download Options
Installation Instructions
- Copy the lm_txp folder into your …\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\valve\ folder.
- Restart or start Steam.
- The Xeno Project 1 should now be listed in your Library tab.
If you require more help, please visit the Help page.
Awards
Playthrough Videos
The playthrough below is part of the Classic of the Month Event, run by Don AKA Unq.
Screenshots
Click on the thumbnails below to open a 1024 pixel wide image.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
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Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
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5,764Overall
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3Today
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10Last 7 days
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21Last 30 days
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262365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 6 comment(s) with meta review data.
Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 6 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 5 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 42 Mins by Cardiomyopathy
Longest: 2 Hours by Turpow
Total Time Played: 6 Hours, 32 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 6 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 5 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 42 Mins by Cardiomyopathy
Longest: 2 Hours by Turpow
Total Time Played: 6 Hours, 32 Mins
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An excellent and very fun mod. I’d also recommend its sequel, The Xeno Project 2 (available at the author’s site).
well into the mod. map 9. the water is so black. the flashlight doesnt seem to light up anything. walk through says how to get out. but, havent found that yet. has anyone else come across the lack of light? thanks.
it was fine for me.didnt need a light at all.but I played it on regular half-life not the steam version.
i too am playing it on regular half-life. everything underwater is black, the grass hairs are a pale grey, the lion fish is grey when viewed from underwater.
could you give me a hint on where to hunt the cave? thanks
hehe I am such a goober. the game was on 3d not open gl. I switched and waa-la I have underwater graphics. have found the way out and cool looking cave. thanks back to bashing them aliens.
lol I was just gonna ask you what setting you had it on.
just finished, man the last part was so hard. but I did prevail 12 health left. hehe. off to part 2, and my revenge.
How does one use the long jump module?
long jump module helps you make really long long jumps.
W + control + spacebar
good luck.
I like this mod but not it’s sequal, grrrrrrrrrrrr that mod should never have seen the light of day
I said in another blog that redemption is the best mod for half-life, and I have played every one of them… well, this is the second best one!!! Played I thousands of times! Azure Sheep is crap!!
Weird story about terraforming, all I got from it was another “everyone is against me” situation and an
excuse to use as much eye-tirying Xen textures as they can.
Some small bugs in the beginning, while I was trying to move in some direction, something kept turning me in another direction, the pool’s bad design made getting out of it a struggle. The slaves and the usual unavoidable
crabs-in-the-face almost left me without ammo, but soon enough came “merry corners”.
Was really surprised by that huge shell that came straight at me, the feeling was very realistic, bravo! Next on tonight’s show, grunts that can throw a grenade right under you and in half a second you’re 50 feet above the ground. The rooms full of explosives weren’t that hard to detonate with a simple gun. A half puzzle, half speed fight task to rescue 2 scientists, nice. A variety of enemies, including an old friend 😀 Great idea with the slope fight and the underwater passings, the environment throughout the mod was quite realistic. And this is the first (hl1) mod (that I can remember) with a searchlight! GMan disappearing behind a library – slick. Some more fights and that’s that. It ended too soon, should’ve been longer, imo.
Cool ending with the countdown, but there was nothing new there. The first time, I got just in
time to see the doors closing in front of me ;))
I had a lot of fun, the mapping was far from boring, also because it wasn’t an overuse of Xen as I initially
thought it would be. This is another mod that easily stands out and it deserves a play or two!
Good designed mod, looks a bit like xen, sometimes. No platform jumping, normal gravity. Most levels look like black mesa.
It’s hard to put into words and identify exactly why I feel this but it seems to me very clear that some authors really try hard to make their mods stand out.
The start with the tram ride, the first part with the banter between the scientists, the general concept of wanting to have a story etc etc.
Even though I didn’t love this mod and kept finding little things that annoyed me, it’s clear that this was a work of love.
Sometimes the difference between amateur and professional is a matter of commitment.
Since I was in a hurry to finish this I had to cheat to get to the fuel button, but I found the soldier annoying to say the least. Even after I had shot him in the head with a crossbow he still had time to blow the grates up – damn frustrating.
Anyway, all in all a great mod but just too many little things for me to love it.
I managed to get the mod in the end, but you should still fix the download link on here.
This mod was pretty fun although I had actually already played it before, and the second one. A lot of action although the whole mod was incredibly easy since the author just kept throwing ammunition at you. There was no need to have the Tau, Gluon, Crossbow, 357, RPG and ARnades all at once unless the mod was tough. Still it was fun and is worth a go.
I noticed a few minor glitches in it, such as getting into the gman’s secret room by killing the two grunts with the Tau which would break the glass and allow you to bug the bookcase and get inside easily and killing the grunts at the very end by using the Tau to shoot through the invisible wall. I know they aren’t very important, but they were pretty funny to do.
Overall the mod was fun, “Play it Now!”
You were meant to long jump over the holes that the grunt had blew up after you killed him. Remember that you got the Long Jump Module in the previous map.
Yes, I know, but as I said I was in a hurry, and when that happens I tend to forgot the obvious.
Just curious Phillip, are you going to post the sequel, The Xeno Project 2? It’s an improvement in pretty much every way and an old favorite of mine 🙂
Yep, in fact, I have just posted it.
Gameplay is good enough but story bugged me so much I couldn’t enjoy it. Its set on planet Xen, Xen is NOT a planet people! do you remember stars in Xen? no didn’t think so. And you decide to get off the planet by standard rocket, seriously! what was the plan after that, macgyver together a working teleporter or warpdrive out of your flashlight and shoes?.
Also why did they start shooting at me, I mean in Black Mesa it was a cover up but in this i’m stranded on an alien planet, who the hell am I going to tell around here?
Anyway despite ticking me off so much with this, the authors opfor mod Nuclear Winter remains in my personal alltime top5.
Haha, what a surprise. I just downloaded this and the sequel yesterday and played through them both together in a row. If I remember correctly, though my memory is a bit clouded when it comes to things like these, this was actually one of the first singleplayer map packs that I played back in the days. There was this magazine, the Swedish version of PC Gamer I believe, that usually had these modifications for Half-Life and various other games on their CD and this, The Xeno Project, was one of them. Of course I was instantly hooked and just loved every inch of it.
Fast forward roughly a decennium and here I am today. Still, I find this map pack highly enjoyable even though it have aged, not necessarily in a bad way, in visual terms. The gameplay is still fun and sometimes a bit challenging depending on the choice of difficulty.
I’ve always preferred these type of map packs and mods in which has the player take control of Gordon right after the events of Half-Life. Of course it’s of no surprise that this particular pack does exactly that. You’ve agreed with G-Man’s offer at the end of Half-Life and as such the game practically takes place right after the agreement. You’re onboard a tram vehicle going to work much in the same vein as in its predecessor. Of course something goes terribly wrong and the earth government takes control of the facility and kills every personnel associated with the project.
Sadly, the story doesn’t really develop much throughout the pack and you don’t have any real sense of goal except moving forward trying to figure out what’s going on.
As mentioned some of the highlights of this map pack is the actual combat. Most of the time its fairly balanced but never particularly hard nor too easy. I recommend a playthrough on normal difficulty but if you’re a veteran player definitely go for hard if you prefer a challenge.
There are a few cool set pieces, like battling a tank, a attack aircraft blowing up a cliff side and seeing a Gargantua attack a group of human grunts on the other side of a broken bridge that might make a lasting appeal. However, majority of the combat is mainly just killing off human grunts and assassins with a few Xen aliens thrown in while going from point A to point B. Is that really a bad thing then? No, not really, it’s fun but unfortunately it never takes one step further like seeing Xen aliens battling human grunts apart from a few scripted sequences.
The level design is fairly consistent throughout the maps, you got your usual testing facility area, storage areas, a office and a rocket facility. They look good but suffer from few gripes like overscaling issues and sometimes bland lighting effects.
All in all, a highly recommended map pack with solid level design and combat but does suffer a bit with a lackluster story that doesn’t develop after its initial state.
Ah, one of the gems from the real early days (both The Xeno Project and The Xeno Project 2 were actually released in 1999, not 2002). This one holds up pretty well over time.
It takes place on Xen although it’s a different look at Xen, without the low gravity and jumping puzzles. There’s a semblance of a story but it’s not that developed throughout, although the ending makes for an intriguing cliffhanger.
The overall design and flow are solid here. The combat is moderately tough and varied, although you do get a sense that the author tried to shove just about everything from Half-Life into this pack. At least there were no baby headcrabs, man I hate those things.
What stands out to me are the setpieces and some cool sequences. Yes, there’s a pretty standard accident and some humorous dialog at the beginning, but once you’re moving though Xen things are kept interesting by mixing in some scripts like bomber planes. I’ve never forgotten the rocket setpiece in the finale, and in particular seeing it clearly in the distance across the broken bridge. I think that’s a clever method to keep the player interested and really give him/her something to strive toward.
This pack does have some rough edges. Some of the design is blocky and the texturing can be downright ugly in sections. And one of the scientist/retinal scanner scripts was broken for me, neither scientist I brought would open the thing, and I tried multiple times saving/reloading.
Overall this is a solid, fun pack that nearly got a 5 from me. It has some drawbacks which are minor but enough to keep it a Play it Later.
It’s one of those mods I played long time ago, and it’s very memorable. The intro train ride looks great – the facility in Xen! The story is non-canon here, because the Xen is actually a world, not a planet. I like to see the part of Freeman’s weekday.
So, after all those years I’ve returned here. It’s a little different now: the fights became much easier and the ichtyosaur don’t fly in the air.
The gameplay is excellent. We fight with monsters and grunts high in the mountains, and that’s cool. The battles are also very diverse – airplane, turrets, tank, ninjas, gargantua.
The design is sometimes great, sometimes simple, but interesting story, exploration and layout prevent the simplicity from being noticed.
Some places are not thought out well enough – there’s no ladder in the elevator shaft, the fortification disappears when the player approaches the elevator and when the first night ends it’s possible to jump back on the “stairs” and find out that there’s nothing back there.
The end cutscene is spectacular and very rewarding.
All in all, it’s a great and memorable mod.
Ooh, Xeno Project, one of the all time classics.
Usually I just hate Xen, but this time gravity etc are “normal”, so there isnt that much jumping like usually in Xen places.
And lots of little scripted moment, gotta love those… I dont wanna spoit… And enough health and armor for my rage, lol
I saw this a little late and noticed part 2 was the next in line, so I wanted to finish both before posting.
I remember this from years ago and recalled it required a tactical approach, especially when you get to the tower and tank outside section. The tram ride at the beginning I could have done without, as it really didn’t seem necessary (at least to me) but the test chamber part made up for it, it was a nice prelude for what was to come. For the time it came out the look and feel is way above many from the time, with the combat being hard but not too much so. Health and ammo never seemed to be a problem, although for the most part run and gun was a sure-fire way to run out.
Expecting this was going to be a PF before I played it again, I’d forgotten the two parts I wasn’t quite happy with, the jail sequence and the rocket launch sequence. The jail part had four ceiling gun turrets, taking them out was a pain because there doesn’t appear to be an off switch. As for the rocket launch, I don’t like timed sequences, I would have preferred a launch button in the capsule.
All said and done this is a mod worthy of a play by any HL fan and as a bonus there’s posters of Lucy Lawless (Zena).
This mod is really well layed out regarding to mapping, also have some really cool battles and even a[spoiler] boss puzzle-rocket at the end[/spoiler] and I have the feeling the whole concept is well work, I mean a base like BM in Xen is exactly what this mod feels like, and yes defently u must play this and the sequel, also I think this last mods in PP, have been a little bit more longer than the shorty ones we get used to in this 100 DoN, u can say is medium lenght but ok to play it!
A real classic, especially as I love well-done Xen maps :)!
Where is the fuel button? I’m at the rocket (map w14) and pressed the oxy button but don’t see the fuel button anywhere. I read something in the comments about doing a long jump. Hopefully it wasn’t earlier and I missed it, because the elevator on map W13 is broken now and I can’t go back earlier than that.
Never mind. I figured it out. This is where the long jump module comes in.
A great game that still plays well after so many years, there’s not been much in-between time that betters this first Xeno Project by Mr. White.
it’s about as long as a HL1 mod needs to be, however, the longevity is achieved by the content that has the player immersed from beginning to end, the author spares no foe in opposing the players progress and we are treated to all HL1 has to challenge us.
The Grunt encounters are challenging some requiring repeat attempt to overcome, often well worth playing through again for fun. All the fire-fights take place within spacious sets allowing the player plenty of room to maneuver and select tactics.
The set designs are a class apart from most of the early mapping attempts by other authors, so much so that, though no expert, I could not fault only of the design that at time appears unique and mapped to a professional level.
I had only one issue and that was getting stuck on lifts, which spoiled the end sequence where I needed to noclip into the rocket for take off.
A classic.
Classic mod. No need to tell more, just play it!
Pro’s:
-Very good mapping, layouts and lighting
-Good story, cutscenes, intro
-Nice combat action
-Every HL weapon available with plenty of ammo
-Good balancing
-Good atmosphere
-Some scripted events
-Good playtime
-No bugs
Con’s:
-Almost no puzzles
-Minor design flaws
-Minor design oddities
-Open end (but there’s part 2!)
-Longjumping required
The Xeno Project is a very up-and-down episode that had moments of blazing glory and others that were rather dull and disappointing.
I feel this download will be a two-sided affair. I cannot speak for all, and I guess that when it comes to this Xeno Project, you’ll either hate it or love it. I’ll warn you right now that you’ll hate it if (a) you despise quick-saving a lot and dying every tenth heartbeat, or (b) you thought the Xen addition to the Half-Life original game completely sucked and you never want to see Xen again. If you fit none of the above then I think you’ll like this very intriguing level.
If there was a book written for Half-Life level design, this map just broke the rules. It’s wrong, it’s not right, but that’s what makes this one of the most interesting releases yet. Mr. White, the head honcho of this Loki Mission Team does something I’ve never seen before… colonization of Xen? Yup, it’s humans meets major alien uglies as the story describes this very novel idea. Not so novel is your mission. The mean-ass military intervenes with your peaceful science-like operations and now you must escape. Where have I heard this before?
The influence from the original game from Valve is very prominent at the beginning. From the familiar train-ride, to the test chambers and an ensuing accident it’s all there, just tremendously abridged… thank god 🙂
The action does not take long to begin. Marines get in your face right away, and the first fight will have you scrambling for ammo and your game can end right there if you don’t have a crackerjack for a shot. Indeed I felt many fights were unfair and I could not finish this map in the hard setting. It’s doubtless that the average schmoe like me will even have a hard time in the medium setting as I surely did.
Despite some terribly overwhelming fights, the action was one of the most creative aspects of this very creative add-on. There are moments were things felt like WWII with marines hitting you from every which way. Other moments had me startled so badly I could not help to grin after the initial shock 🙂 The planning that Mr. White put forth for each fight is something I have to acknowledge but unfortunately the balance was a bit off.
Also a bit off was the design. The originality of the Xeno Project’s concept had tremendous potential, but this was not well complemented by a frequently disappointing design. First off, if the author wanted to appeal to people that liked the Xen-setting, he should at least make things look like Xen. This looked a bit too much like the moon or something. The organic, slimy feeling is gone, and this is what I loved about Xen in the original game, being a Xen lover 🙂 Most of my complaints came from the outdoor areas. There was a lack of detail and aesthetic appeal. Some places just didn’t look right, and others I felt as if a little more detail would’ve went a million miles. Still, the Xeno Project’s design is more than you could ask for when compared to the many poor-quality Half-Life SP levels we’re seeing today.
If you there’s a reason to download this lengthy, and tough add-on, it would be for you to see something different. The transition from base to the Xen outdoors is quite interesting and makes for a very cool layout.
In the end this is a fairly medicore episode and the ending doesn’t really make sense. One day you’re working for the almighty business man, the next day you’re being threatened to be slaughtered by him and his military henchmen in a Star Destroyer from Star Wars. Am I the only one going huh? Oh well, there’s a suggested sequal to this and hopefully it will shed some light on the story as it is an interesting project this one is.
Notes
This review is republished here by permission and was originally published Monday, 14th June, 1999 by Jiang.
This review was originally posted on the Ten Four Website, which is now offline. Permission has been granted to republish the full review and more details can be found on the About page.
I really was not a fan of this mod, as others seem to be. The level design, and enemy spawns were very poorly designed; enemies spawn all around you with nowhere to use as cover, and an Apache helicopter even shoots at you just as you emerge from the water, with a level change while you travelled through the water, so nowhere to go back to. The level changes were also very awful, and not a lot really made sense to me. I don’t like seeing Xen represented as a planet either, as this shows a big misunderstanding of the HL universe I love.
I know some people have really appreciated this mod, but I didn’t.
Manually
Medium
50 Minutes
This mod was awesome, the mapping was amazing. This mod is a classic. The story was a little strange though, you are teleported in a train (there is a bullsquid under the train so watch out!) and begin an unknown test. The military attacks for unknown reasons (?) and you must escape from the research lab. You fight in a military base until you come at a rocket base. You must activate the oxygen and the fuel for the rocket (you will fight a Gargantua too!) and escape from the planet. There is a nice fight with a tank, too. There was a problem in the mod, Xen isn’t a planet but a dimension of little floating islands…a very memorable ending. I won’t spoil anything, play the mod first!
Manually
Easy
2 Hours
I don’t play Xen related mods, but when I do, it’s the Xeno Project.
I have played a Loki’s Missions mod before (Nuclear Winter) and thought he was an interesting modder. This can quite prove so.
The tram ride in the beginning is great, though, a bit glitchy.
The combat is good, but could have been better.
Sometimes the textures were a bit meh and the lighting could have been better.
I say play it, but you will enjoy the sequel more.
Why is the playtime of this “Short”? This mod is definitely much longer than “15-30” minutes!
I’ve downloaded and tried using Gauge for this but it just starts HL1 instead of a mod. This has happened a couple times over the last couple years for HL1 mods for some reason, using both maptap/gauge or manual startup. The mod appears to start with a HL1 menu screen like most do, but when I press new game/medium diff, it just skips into the HL1 tram intro complete with Valve credit names appearing.
Welcome to Jiang’s first review 🙂 He’s pretty much hit the nail right on the head here. The Xeno Project’s main problem is its inconsistency; some spots are excellent while others are bland or downright poor. The difficulty is extremely patchy too, varying wildly from easy to almost impossible. I kind of liked the downbeat ending but it just wasn’t all that much fun getting there. Save your modem’s strength for Neil Manke’s epic which is due soon.
Notes
This second opinion review is republished here by permission and was originally published Thursday, 13th July, 2000 by Morgan.
This review was originally posted on the Ten Four Website, which is now offline. Permission has been granted to republish the full review and more details can be found on the About page.
Good, but in my opinion, there are better ones
Manually
Hard
1 Hour
I love this mod. Nice space atmosphere, good map design, various kinds of places, fun combats, and a nice ending! I especially like that you added the hivehand, which is very useful for some combats.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
Neat little mod.
Starts out a little rough at first, but picks up after the tank fight.I don’t think its exceptional, but its all done well.
I really like the idea of the terraformed Xen, its a interesting idea even if modest in design and looks. I think its decent all the way through, I really like the ending and getting into the rocket.
There’s no better word for this mod but just “neat”! Its nice 🙂
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
Great mod, some areas are hard but manageble.
Very good for it’s age and i enjoyed playing it.
Manually
Hard
42 Minutes
Well this is very different, the fact that Xen becomes a planet instead of a border world with floating islands. Nevertheless, the level design is okay to some point. There are no puzzles at all so you would be disappointed if you expect one. As for the combat, it is very easy actually. You get the hive hand in the early maps making it very convenient to conserve lots of ammo in the entire mod. At least I did enjoy the mod, I kinda liked it.