Black Mesa Released To Steam (Early Access)

[Omnomnick]

After three extra years of development since its original release back in 2012, the total Half-Life conversion mod "Black Mesa" has finally been released on to Steam, albeit in early access. While still extremely similar to the original version, the updated singleplayer campaign features improved visuals, new voice overs and dialogue, updated gameplay encounters, improved stability, and more. Unfortunately, the final few chapters of the game set on the mysterious Xen borderworld are still not complete and are therefore not included in this early access Steam version.

While the Xen chapters are still missing, one major feature that is included in this new release is a fully functional multiplayer mode supporting Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, with more promised in the future. The multiplayer mode is supported by the Steam Workshop and a more stable version of Valve's Hammer Editor which players can use to create and upload their own custom maps. As revealed last week, the Steam version of Black Mesa also features trading cards, backgrounds, emoticons, and achievements as part its Steamworks integration.

Black Mesa is currently available for £14.99 on Steam Early Access, so be sure to let us know what you think of this new, and hopefully improved version of the game should you decide to check it out!

 

[Eejit]

15 quid? Nope.

 

[Aizawa]

bought immediately and started playthrough. Like the changes to the weapons, but still not satisfied with the shotgun and crowbar is still terrible apart from its texture. Multiplayer works really well and is fun I like the lowered speed compared to HL1

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Yeah, nah, not paying 15 bucks for an average remake mod.

 

[Lolcomputer]

average

The average Half-Life remake, literally:

Black Mesa:

I beg to differ

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Been waiting to see this happen for years, I'll gladly help these guys out with $20. I'm excited to play through it again and do some MP.

 

[SteamEmpire]

Don't have the money for it atm but I still think the devs deserve it having trucked thru almost 10 years of development

 

[Acurt1982]

 

[FoB_Ed]

So what is this? Buy our mod we put out 3 years ago because we can't get jobs?

 

[Acurt1982]

So what is this? Buy our mod we put out 3 years ago because we can't get jobs?

it's more like "we're repackaging and selling our three year old unfinished mod for twenty dollars with a generic multiplayer mode that no one asked for"

 

[Mr. Sir Shpee]

I'd buy it for full price if I was able at the moment. Hell of a job by them, and the multiplayer looks fun.

 

[oMeSSiaHo]

They've spent like ten years working on this and have accomplished a lot. Its hardly "generic", they could have just copied the brush work into source but they recreated each map from the ground up. They could have just copied models but they create all new weapons, characters and animations. They even created new dialogue and added some new mechanics. I don't understand the negativity as nobody is forcing you to pay them. You've all turned bitter over the years.

 

[Acurt1982]

BLACK MESA IT TOOK 12 YEARS TO MAKE

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

BLACK MESA IT TOOK 12 YEARS TO MAKE

12 YEARS

 

[UndeadScottsman]

it's more like "we're repackaging and selling our three year old unfinished mod for twenty dollars with a generic multiplayer mode that no one asked for"

Taken from the Steam page

The Steam release of Black Mesa includes various fixes, upgrades, and new features since Black Mesa’s mod release.

Heavily updated single player experience – The Black Mesa single player experience has greatly improved from the mod release; new visuals, new voice over, updated gameplay encounters, stability changes and more. Xen is not part of the Steam release of Black Mesa, but will included as a free update when it is ready.
Black Mesa Multiplayer – Fight with or against your friends, in two game modes across six iconic maps from the Half-Life Deathmatch universe: Bounce, Gasworks, Lambdabunker, Stalkyard, Subtransit and Undertow.
Custom Modding Tools – Use the same tools the developers used to create your own mods, modes and maps for Black Mesa and Black Mesa Multiplayer …
Fully integrated Workshop – … and then share your work on the fully integrated workshop!
Complete Steam Integration – Collect trading cards, backgrounds, emoticons, achievements, and everything else you would expect out of a Steam integrated game.

 

[Aizawa]

they also heavily improved performance. With the first release I only had like 60 fps most of the time but sometimes it even dropped. Now I have at least 80fps, sometimes even over 200. BUT there are more loading screens now (still less than in HL1), for example the train ride at the start was 1 level only until the end, but now its 3 loading screens like in HL1.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

It's worth while to some, and not to others. Whatever, **** it. Buy it if you want it. I understand both arguments, but I'm kind of a fanboy and have the money.

they also heavily improved performance. With the first release I only had like 60 fps most of the time but sometimes it even dropped. Now I have at least 80fps, sometimes even over 200. BUT there are more loading screens now (still less than in HL1), for example the train ride at the start was 1 level only until the end, but now its 3 loading screens like in HL1.

If I'm to understand correctly performance is an ongoing development goal to the folks left at Crowbar Collective, so don't expect this to represent the final product. We're still in early access.

At first I thought they wouldn't go the early access route and that would be frustrating considering the omission of Xen (admittedly the lamest part of the first Half-Life)--but I think it's excusable given the fact that I trust them to continue development. They love this project or they would have abandoned it so long ago.

If they rework Xen to actually be fun, this may very well be the definitive version of Half-Life. The one the get folks into the series.

...now I'd love to see a remake of Op4, haha.

 

[Aizawa]

Xen (admittedly the lamest part of the first Half-Life)

Xen is one of my favorite parts of the whole franchise. Im serious.

 

[Eejit]

Don't have the money for it atm but I still think the devs deserve it having trucked thru almost 10 years of development

Oh - they worked slowly? I'd better give them all of my krone!

 

[Tabajara]

...now I'd love to see a remake of Op4, haha.

You might check out this then!

 

[Lolcomputer]

You might check out this then!

Thx for reminding me this still exists. It also seems that Guard Duty is also active.

Honestly, I'm pretty hyped for this, even though this has existed for a long time.

 

[Vincent Pride]

GameDev industry is known to have the most hate-centric relationships between consumers and developers. This thread shows no improvement in that regard.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Which is also indicative of how passionate people are about the industry.

 

[Acurt1982]

you literally can't criticize this mod because it took so long to make

 

[Acurt1982]

The average Half-Life remake, literally:

Black Mesa:

I beg to differ

woah! two different types of mods on two completely different engines, one mod being a complete overhaul and one being a joke mod. you sure showed him!

 

[Aizawa]

well the industry brought this on itself, but hating against Black Mesa is unfair. If they never said anything about Black Mesa and just released it on Steam for 20€, no one would be bitching. Technically its not even a mod, they build it from scratch and they licensed the Source engine.
Besides no one here criticized the mod, people only whine about the price.

 

[Lolcomputer]

woah! two different types of mods on two completely different engines, one mod being a complete overhaul and one being a joke mod. you sure showed him!

My point was, that there existed no mod like Black Mesa back then. If anything, it is not average, as the average Half-Life mod concerning it's original assets, is either a joke or a HD pack.

I mean, look at the all of the other HD remasterings out there, like Grim Fandago or Resident Evil. Those remakes are almost laughable in context to Black Mesa's thought, passion and content.

you literally can't criticize this mod because it took so long to make

And the only thing people have criticized here is the price or the concept of selling the game and how long it took to make, not anything regarding it's content, other than that it's average. And on top of that, no one has really reacted hostile towards your or somoene elses criticism.

And I don't see the problem with working slowly to deliver a good product... I only see that as a good sign.

The more I think of this, the more I think you guys are being sarcastic, and I'm actually being suckered in.

 

[Eejit]

I mean, look at the all of the other HD remasterings out there, like Grim Fandago or Resident Evil. Those remakes are almost laughable in context to Black Mesa's thought, passion and content.

Yeah I'd rather play a good and faithful HD remaster like Homeworld got than a mediocre "re-imagining" from slow modders. Oh wait, they're also passionate so there's that.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Yeah I'd rather play a good and faithful HD remaster like Homeworld got than a mediocre "re-imagining" from slow modders. Oh wait, they're also passionate so there's that.

If you're referring to my post, I was saying gamers are passionate, not necessarily "modders" -- a slow modder is someone with a life usually outside the industry who does this shit as a hobby.

Now they're a nuclear development studio trying to make some money. Oh dear! What ****ing assholes--wanting to create a profession out of their hobbies.

 

[Lolcomputer]

Yeah I'd rather play a good and faithful HD remaster like Homeworld got than a mediocre "re-imagining" from slow modders. Oh wait, they're also passionate so there's that.

I'm aware that you may wan't to play Half-Life or any other old game again and again with no diversity or reimagined concepts, and you are completely free to do that. But from what I'm aware of, most people have reacted positively to the new design elements in Black Mesa and Homeworld. I think you may be in the minority with your reaction, since you're reacting to few and superficial changes to an old game with high aversion, and it makes you look like you have metathesiophobia*. (apparantly oldfag is cringy)

And you're definition of faithfull is copying to the exact miniscule of the core design? The remakes we see today, if you ask me, are nothing more than lazy. No thought put into them, and their only purpose is to give fan service to nostalgia driven fanboys, in contrary to Black Mesa and Homeworld, where we see modders/developers actually trying to refine a golden experience.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I agree with you, just don't say "oldfag." that's cringe-worthy man. Say something like bitter aging neckbeard.

 

[Eejit]

I'm aware that you may wan't to play Half-Life or any other old game again and again with no diversity or reimagined concepts, and you are completely free to do that. But from what I'm aware of, most people have reacted positively to the new design elements in Black Mesa and Homeworld. I think you may be in the minority with your reaction, since you're reacting to few and superficial changes to an old game with high aversion, and it makes you look like you have metathesiophobia*. (apparantly oldfag is cringy)

And you're definition of faithfull is copying to the exact miniscule of the core design? The remakes we see today, if you ask me, are nothing more than lazy. No thought put into them, and their only purpose is to give fan service to nostalgia driven fanboys, in contrary to Black Mesa and Homeworld, where we see modders/developers actually trying to refine a golden experience.

Homeworld is a good remake, not a bad one. Please try reading my posts before blerfing onto your keyboard.

Homeworld HD updated the UI and added a few convenience tweaks from the sequel. It's like if you added suit zoom to HL1 rather than redesigning levels.

Classics don't need reimagined or redefined, they deserve polish (performance, UI, bugs, resolution etc) and sequels. Reimagining them in an update is for those who don't have the taste appreciate the original sufficiently.

Of course the reimagined version is popular, a lot of people who love HL1 care more about visuals than faithfulness. Argumentum ad populum

 

[Lolcomputer]

Homeworld is a good remake, not a bad one. Please try reading my posts before blerfing onto your keyboard.

Homeworld HD updated the UI and added a few convenience tweaks from the sequel. It's like if you added suit zoom to HL1 rather than redesigning levels.

Classics don't need reimagined or redefined, they deserve polish (performance, UI, bugs, resolution etc) and sequels. Reimagining them in an update is for those who don't have the taste appreciate the original sufficiently.

Of course the reimagined version is popular, a lot of people who love HL1 care more about visuals than faithfulness. Argumentum ad populum

First of all, I'll apolagize for any misunderstandings on my behalf. The lack of punctuation made me a bit confused.

I agree that classics doesn't need to be reimagined or redefined, but I think it adds a new way of enjoying the experience for people who have already played the game. I think people try to make it more exciting and engaging, since perhaps some people who have already played Half-Life, may have no interest in experiencing the same again. Albeit, if you're completely changing the core design, I agree you should make a sequel or completely other game.

Perhaps there was some flaw in the design that could have been improved somehow, and as long as the experience is not objectivly degraded in some way, I'd say that any redefinitions or reimaginations are fine.

Since Black Mesa doesn't really change a lot of the gameplay, I don't see how Black Mesa is bad in this context. Same weapons with the same principle, same level design and same core mechanics. All changes have been superficial to the design. At least from what I know; if you know any monumental changes, please show me a few examples.

Also, I don't think that agurmentum ad populum complies to this particular situation. We're talking about subjective feedback, and there would be no wrong end here. It's just the fact if a lot of people like it, there would be no reason to change or remove it.

 

[Aizawa]

well I also think that Black Mesa does some things worse than the original, for example the weapon placement. In my opinion it makes no sense at all to give the player the Magnum before the Shotgun and MP5. There are also things I like in Black Mesa more, for example that the Magnum and Crossbow have less total ammo now. Just two small examples. Overall though I still prefer Half-Life 1 over Black Mesa, mostly because Black Mesa´s quality is inconsistent. Still I love Black Mesa, payed happily 20€ for it and would recommend it to anyone