Half-Life: Enriched - Alpha version 0.84 news

Been waiting for this update long? Well, then don't wait any longer and click that button!

Welcome to the very first HL:Enriched release that isn't tied to a chapter. Yes, ever since the last update I had worked my way through all the maps that Half-Life had to offer. So what can you expect from this update?

Many, many, MANY fixes, adjustements and tweaks to the existing maps. The changelog in the readme file has over 900 lines of logged changes since version 0.83! I've been really busy updating the maps to a higher standard and I have my Team Test to thank for their keen eyes in helping me track down those issues. You'll find many new things in your next playthrough and (hopefully) less bugs (not counting cockroaches, snarks and chumtoads, those are still there!). I do not expect you to read the full changelog, so here are some of the highlights:

Reshuffled maps

The Xen chapters have been slightly changd. The opening map of 'Interloper' is now slotted into the 'Xen' chapter. I felt that the first chapter was a little too short (only 1 small map) and tosses the player into the Gonarch boss fight too quickly. So, now, the second map you'll play is the one shown below. As this is another floating Xen island, it also fits the theme well.

Next to that, I've managed to merge the second and third chapter of 'Surface Tension' into one BSP. With this change, the amount of BSPs in HL: Enriched is exactly 50% of the original (51 vs 102). A statistic I'm quite happy with!

Rebalanced loadouts

For this update, I also took a look at the item and ammo balance. In general, Gordon is able to carry an insane amount of equipment with him and somehow Black Mesa is littered with ammonution pretty much everywhere you go. In version 0.84, I've reduced the maximum amount of ammo Gordon can haul around and there is less equipment to be found in general. Myself and the Test Team are currently still in the progress of tweaking this entire system but in the end this should make Half-Life: Enriched a little harder and exciting.

Updated models

In my previous update I've already show a few of the new models. Next to the tripmine, satchel, gluon and female assassin, you'll also encounter these newly updates models.

I've also done quite a few updates and fixes to older models. Mostly noticable will be the human grunt, for which I've completely redone the animations and skeleton.

So, what's next?

You've probably noticed that this update is still labeled as 'alpha'. There is still a lot of work left to be done, including a few more weapon models, monsters and assorted items. Next to that I want to revisit each map again and do another art pass, adding more details and eye candy whereever the engine limits will allow me to. After that is done, I'd like to properly test the WON version of Enriched. I've ported over all the changes to that codebase but it has never been properly tested. After that I'll feel confident enough to slap the 'beta status' badge onto this project!

And then there is the co-op conversion.. more on that later! Thanks for reading.