You are Gordon Freeman, formerly a scientist at Black Mesa Research Establishment, now reluctantly employed by a mysterious organisation as a troubleshooter. (They send you out looking for trouble, and when you find it, you shoot it.)
You are contacted by the Man in Blue. He seems strangely worried; something has ruffled his normally impenetrable character.
This was April 2021’s Classic of the Month mod.
Basic Details
- Title: Timeline
- File Name: hl1-sp-timeline-1.7z
- Original File Name: timeline-1.exe
- Size : 6.38Mb
- Author: Ross Smith
- Date Released: 23 October 2000
- Related: Timeline 2: Iced Earth
- Related: Timeline 3: Heart Of Darkness
PlanetPhillip Download Servers
Walkthrough
A walkthrough for this mod is available. It is in PDF format. You may be able to open this directly in your browser, depending on which one you use and its version or alternatively you can download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader
Playthrough Videos
The playthrough below is part of the Classic of the Month Event, run by Don AKA Unq.
Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
Please note: These statistics are valid from December 2010
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2,865Overall
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0Today
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4Last 7 days
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18Last 30 days
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194365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 8 comment(s) with meta review data.
Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 8 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 3 Hours, 20 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours by Dmitry
Longest: 10 Hours by Martina
Total Time Played: 26 Hours, 40 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 8 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 3 Hours, 20 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours by Dmitry
Longest: 10 Hours by Martina
Total Time Played: 26 Hours, 40 Mins
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Jump to a review
Ross Smith’s Timeline trilogy are probably my favorite Half-Life SP mods. The only mod I enjoyed more was Neil Manke’s They Hunger series.
The level design in this isn’t the most advanced (comparing it to something like Poke 646 or Nightwatch), but in its day it was pretty decent and the visuals are quite nice and it was a blast to play. Time travel has always interested me and as such I most enjoyed the section where you get to travel back in time to other time periods.
Phillip: The information listed here and in the profiles for Timeline II and III is not accurate. Would you like me to re-send the email I sent you a while back with the information?
timeline is you have to stop hitler from destroying the world because well I do not know 100% but I think he took the teliport tecnoligy so he chould take over the world you 1 man stand must stop this from happening
Anyone know how to get past the civil war level in timeline 1.
Concerning the HL1 Timeline trilogy,can I play them on Steam?
Thanks in advance!
Don’t know about Steam with Timeline…
It’s a pretty solid mod. The level design is fairly basic, but the idea is interesting… though granted I understood most of the narrative only from reading the walkthrough. There’s very little information in the actual mod. The mod, too, is undermined by a lot of small mistakes–it’s not clear where an essential button or switch is located, a ladder is grey against a grey background, resulting in a lot of pointless back and forth… All in all, though, a good job, and thanks go out to its creator.
Great mod
very good-quality mod-well balanced-mostly grunts-quake like in style.
Fantastic!!! Finally- a mod with a great story of time travel and it all works together. It actually follows a storyline and it all makes sense and it’s done just great. I’ve never been a big fan of HL1 mods, preferring 2, but even though they may not be as flashy with 3-d and all, the stories are much better I think. This one was done really well with lots of good action.It’s really a nice break from the antlions in all the hl2 mods. People seem to really go overboard with the zombies and antlions in most mods but in this one they are only a few here and there. Your mainly fighting soldiers which is much better I think. They shoot back.
This was 6 mb only but seemed much bigger. It was fun going through time and fighting the bad guys in places like ancient Egypt and Rome. Really a nice touch. The author has a good mind as far as his original thinking goes. There is alot of new scenes in this I’ve never seen in other mods. The only problem I had was locating a ladder in part 4-Powerslave-If it was there, as the walkthrough said it was, I could not find it and I looked a long time before giving up and noclipping into the next tunnel.Maybe the author or someone else could tell me where if at all, they found it. I’d be really happy to know, as it drove me nuts looking for it. I wanted to make it through this without cheating but had to for that chapter. Other then that you can make it through this on normal mode fairly easy. The enemy is well balanced and killlable. lol-if that’s a word. I say play this one-you’ll like it-I’m looking forward to parts 2 and 3 now-
just to let you guys know, Half Life Timeline (1, 2 & 3) works on steam Half Life as well.
Just telling so that some of the overthinkers won’t waste time searching the web or waste money downloading Half Life without STEAM.
ustedes tienen tineline para half-life
I am more than a little annoyed with this mod. It started out okay, and then got pretty interesting as the whole time travel thing came to a head. 99% of this mod was actually very enjoyable.
Except.
for the LAST SCENE. The last 5SECONDS of the LAST CHAPTER was BROKEN for me. So as to avoid spoilers; that last thing that you need to destroy? It got STUCK. I could see it, I was pretty certain I could destroy it, but it WOULDN’t because it was STUCK in the hanger bay. I finally looked at the walkthrough in frustration and realized that I was trying to do exactly what I was supposed to, but it wasn’t working. I had to noclip, move across the entire map, and destroy it close range in order to finish the game.
Sorry, but no. Sorry, but no. I’ve played nearly 50 mods/maps and I’ve NEVER actually NEEDED to noclip in order to beat a game until this one. The worst part is it came out in 2000, it’s nearly 10 years old, so it’s not like this is ever going to get patched.
Seriously, it just pisses me off so much. The gameplay wasn’t anything amazing, but the concept was well executed, so up until that broken ending, I was actually enjoying myself.
In the author’s defense it amy be that updates to the engine have caused this error. That’s one of the problems of Steam and automatic engine updates. I remember encountering a simialr problem. I contacted the author and he said that changes in the way the engine did something made the mod crash. By using a standalone version of the game and the right version I was able to play, finish and enjoy the mod.
Whilst I am not usggesting you change your recommendation and you may not even be using Steam, it seems a shame that problems in the last 5 seconds the mod only gets a Think Twice recommendation, especially as some people only look at the images and don’t read the comments/reviews.
At first I encountered this problem, but instead of the Rocket launcher try using the Crossbow to hit said target. It worked for me and, BAM, ending. 🙂
Thank you, confused. I’m replaying this mod for the first time in several years and was disappointed by how it broke at the end. I came back here hopeful someone else had discovered a solution and was not disappointed. Thanks again 🙂
BS rating!!! The mod glitching at the end due to engine or steam updates isn’t a reason to give it crap rating. This MOD is AWESOME and so are the other two. Obviously for someone who played many mods, you didn’t try (from what you wrote) to get the correct version or troubleshoot, etc. Bypass this horrible rating due to laziness of player to get correct version; it’s a mod and not a retail game so things can go wrong especially given what half life has gone thru since it came out.
Great mod, play it now. 😀 I ran into one problem where I started outside of the map, but noclip fixed that. 🙂
As an aspiring mapper myself, it is always encouraging when a first-time Half-Life author releases something as enjoyable as this map that I happened to stumble across. Timeline, by Ross Smith, is an interesting and challenging episode that really shines.
The premise of Timeline is clever: you resume your role as Gordon Freeman, working for the G-Man. It has been learned that a rebel military faction (what else?!) has seized the dimensional gateway technology for “unconventional applications.” Specifically, time travel. Your job is to follow them through time and put an end to their evil plot to take over the world.
I really like the author’s new take on the tried-and-true teleportation theme. Not to spoil too much, but you get to visit times such as Ancient Rome and the Confederate South. But most of the action takes place as you try to foil the allies that the military faction has found in the past – the Nazis. They end up creating an alternate present by apparently winning WWII, so you must interfere by shutting down the time machine and making sure things are set right again. This is one of those time travel situations that you shouldn’t think too much about, or you will end up with a boggled brain (just like if you try to figure out the details of The Terminator). But it is certainly well-conceived and really works well as a plot.
There are plenty of things I liked about Timeline. Not only does the story keep things moving (along with a couple brief cutscenes), but much of the episode is non-linear. There are many alternate routes, and in some cases you can even choose the order in which to approach things. There are also a number of puzzles involved in progressing. Most of these consist of pushing buttons to power things up or finding a keycard, but there are a couple of scenarios that really require you to think.
Timeline is not an easy map to complete – and that’s just the way I like it. There is a mix of enemies, but the vast majority of them are human, which just adds to the challenge in my opinion. There are quite a few pretty tough situations as well that’ll have you quickloading a number of times before success. It’s also pretty long – there are 30 maps included, which makes it one of the longer HL maps available, and you’ll likely take a couple of hours to complete Timeline. One slight drawback is that your arsenal consists of nearly all conventional-type weapons, even though this map has a sci-fi theme. But that’s another matter of opinion and doesn’t hinder the enjoyment of combat or the level overall.
Most of the architecture and design in this episode are great – Ross tries to convey the feel and atmosphere of many different times, mostly with success. However, there were some areas that could use some touching up from a texturing standpoint. Also, some of the outdoor sections could use work; many of the canyon walls looked too flat and some were poorly textured, which sort of detracts from the realistic feel of such an area.
Furthermore, it would have been great if some of the places visited briefly were expanded and improved so you really felt like you were there – as it stands, they almost feel like mere diversions. In a couple of wide-open areas, there are pretty high r_speeds that could slow down the play a bit, but for the most part they are in areas with no combat, so overall it’s not much of a problem.
I have no hesitation in recommending Timeline. Although it does have a couple of minor rough edges, overall it is a great experience, with good design, a clever plot, and challenging combat.
Notes
This review is republished here by permission and was originally published Saturday, 11th November, 2000 by Unquenque.
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.
So in addition to sci fi setting you add time travel & Nazis; WOW what’s not to like! Don’t even bother to read my or anyone elses review, just play it NOW! you won’t regret it.
Manually
Easy
2 Hours, 40 Minutes
It was a great mod, a lot of ground to cover, witch makes it very much like a real game of HL. There was a story there somewhere, but instead of pieces of film, it’s told in text. I have to admitt I haven’t got a clue as to what the story was about. But it no mattered to me, cause I like the roaming in buildings.
The new Half Lives, 2 and the extra chapters are nice, but only in the old maps I get a feeling like I’m actually there, and have to acclamatise when I stop playing.
Manually
Hard
10 Hours
I’m playing the Timeline trilogy for the first time now and just finished this first part.
I was only mildly impressed by this. I have no clue what the story is about, as there’s very little information in the mod and it’s all a bit confusing. Level design is basic, gameplay straightforward, and graphics and textures are very simple and a bit dated. Just like They Hunger I think there are mods that aged better than this. Also some really hard to spot ladders (grey on grey), and fighting assassins without a Magnum or a crossbow.
16 years ago this was possibly one of the best mods series, but nowadays I don’t find it that special.
Let’s see how much I will enjoy parts two and three …
Manually
Medium
4 Hours, 10 Minutes
The idea is interesting. Maybe when I play it.
Timeline is a classic mod that I’ve somehow gone this long without playing. Visiting it for the first time in 2021 was quite an experience. Old Half-Life mods have quite the charm to them, but Timeline is special. The set pieces and overall time travel storyline of Timeline set it apart from most mods of time, and also makes it worth playing today.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour, 20 Minutes
The concept is pretty good, but it’s a bit lacking, and the ending sequence is really weird.
Manually
Hard
2 Hours
I sadly don’t really vibe with the mod. I really like the concept, time traveling to see old, unique places in Goldsrc sounds awesome. But sadly I wasn’t into it.
My biggest issue is I think the balancing is a bit off. Feels like there’s was 1 too many Grunts and not enough health or ammo. I had to eventually switch to easy midway through. It just became too much. Even than it still felt pretty off for a good chunk of it, was tiring.
Environments were also kinda a let down. Which is a huge shame since its why I was excited to play. I understand it was from 2000, but I think even compared to other mods at the time this feels, basic? It just generally felt very large and empty. Not a lot going on. Especially comparing it to stuff like They Hunger(1998-9), for example. Mod has some pretty dumb design issues. Like having a grey ladder on a grey surface you wont normally notice. There was also goofy model stuff, like texturing a bridge with wooden crates. Even though there was already a wooden bridge model in Half Life? A lot of this made the mod feel rudimentary. & more difficult to navigate than it should’ve been.
I think the way the maps are, also exacerbated the balance issues. Having little to no cover and so many enemies, turns you into mince meat if you try to enter. It doesn’t help that the enemy placement isn’t great either. Felt very tedious in terms of fighting. I just kinda picked off Grunts from a corridor, instead of the big arenas you’re suppose to be in. Thank god it gives you a lot of SMG grenades at least.
Finally enemy variety is not very large either. Which I get, HECU grunts and assassins are the only human enemies, so for a mod about fighting Nazis it makes sense. At the very least to, HECU are the least predictable to fight. So its not TOO bad. But I generally do wish there was more enemy types. Especially since you DO fight Vorts, alien grunts, and zombies. But only like, 2 times in the mod, so I’m not sure what that’s about.
I’m kinda disappointed. I’m hoping the next 2 episodes to be an improvement. But I’m just not into this one. You however, might have a much better time with it.
Manually
Easy
2 Hours, 30 Minutes
Love the story, love the content, and this is probably the best gruntfest I’ve ever played so far. Although what I hate in this map is the hazards, especially when you’re going to blow up the generators. It takes up the whole room and it leaves me almost no time to escape. I had to bhop my way out to avoid heavy damage from a large explosion.
A space traveller? What amazing, the changing of different ambient and time is what I really need. But that is a dream, we cannot travel through time, don’t we? Especially if we pretend to different locations through time. It is just a theory. I don’t think that someone ever did. And if someone ever did, what is he’s doing here then? Go to another world in the future. All those who travelled in time are story tellers and are living inside a dream with no direction or even a scratch of reality. I can’t even getting younger, how on earth someone can travel on time. At least travel 1 year back to live one year more. But is this possible? I don’t think so, time is always moving forward, like the earth spinning forward, there’s no way back. That’s why we are afraid of dying, and create stories like travelling, thinking there’s an escape and cheat to the death, but it seems to be not at all.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
I mean it has a lot of Wolfenstein vibes here which what makes it unique and different for a Half-Life mod.