AgentSmith
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If I were Gabe I would have done the following with HL2 MP:
First, very simple unspectacular DM with a few maps taken right from the game and using the various HL2 weapons. Certainly this is something that Valve can handle producing given the enormous revenue that HL2 is certain to generate and the amount of time they took making HL2. This MP would have been included in the bronze (cheapest) game package.
Second, Counter-Strike: Source. Maybe the 'main' MP for HL2 I would have made this part of the silver and gold packages and would have started by porting 1.6 over. Working out the kinks we are all experiencing now I would have added/changed the following:
1) Realistic weapons physics. No more of the all bullets travel the same but just inflict differant damages I would have added scope sway to the x-hairs that would be minimal for smaller weapons like SMGs and increased for weapons like the AWP. I would have it so that the weapon dictated the accuracy when moving, standing, etc so that, for instance, an SMG or shotgun is the only weapon that is really accurate on the move with the assault rifles behind that and then the scopped rifles and snipers paying a hefty price for not being stationary and even crouhed. I can go into more detail but the point being that 3 or 4 shots is a kill from any gun, the trick becomes using realistic weapon physics to distingiush the differant weapons. Sniper rifles would be one shot kill in cheast or head but would be not have the static unmoving crosshairs or quick zoom stuff that 1.6 has.
2) Damage, without going into too much detail as I am not a weapon expert number cruncher I would keep the 1 hit kill for headshots but buying a kevlar helmet would make it so a face hit is the only one hit kill and a hit to the rest of the head is more like 50% bonus to damage. 3 or 4 shots with about anything would be a kill and a system of a, say, a 50% dmg bonus for a head hit and 50% penalty for arm or leg hit. Point being that I would set it up to make HS something that takes some skill, random sprayed HS are far too frequent in CS, IMHO and kevlar helmet should make it a bit more difficult. The days of 8 or 9 hits for a kill would be gone, it simply is ridiculous to have people jumping and dancing around each other unload clips wiating to get a kill - gameplay is the main goal but keeping with the more realistic look and physics more realistic damage is essential to the experience.
3) Movement has to be dialed back from the Quake DM style of CS. Jumping 6 feet high and the Carl Lewis length of jumps would be dialed back and shooting while jumping would be an excercise in reducing your ammo count, not getting kills.
4) Maps would be non linear and open. Classice certainly have a place but the old practice of run to choke point A or B and fire, rinse and repeat can be expanded on to included more open areas and a good mix of choke points for firefights and open areas for tactics and even stealth. A little more space would be good too but not too big as quick rounds are important to the whole CS style. Porting the big maps like office, dust, dust2, and a few others would be a must but at least 2 or 4 new maps with a new 'style' would give the game a new dimension and maybe inspire mappers to come up with some new stuff.
5) Physics are important to Source and need to be important in any game running on Source to get the egnine's full ability worked into the gameplay. Just plopping items here and there that move is silly and detracts from play. Instead of that I would strategically place some items to allow them to be part of play instead of a footnote. Example, having doors that move when you bump then so they can be closed and even blocked with other objects in the area - nades could clear them even blowing them off thier hinges. Also, flying objects would inflict damage on anything they hit.
6) The money system, I think this may be a small thing but I would have a server setting to allow for two money systems. One for competition that is mainly rewarding on a team bases and one that is for public servers that rewards more on an individual basis. It could be something like on a public server you get 60% of money from your actions (plant bomb, pick up bomb, kill a guy, etc) and 40% from your teams performance (winning the rnd, getting some hosties, planting the bomb even if defused). Point is that there should be rewards for working the objectives and not just completing them. This would alleviate the team stacking on public servers to a degree and encourage players to go for the objectives as working them even if not completing them would yield reward.
I think this would not take a ton of 'work' over and above what the normal port has taken and the extra money from getting people into silver or gold would make up for it. It would still be CS but instead of CS on Source it would be CS WITH Source, big differance. It would also not be so differant that it would eliminate the future for CS2, in fact it would lay a good groundwork for whatever is next for CS. I thnk the key is the use of physics part and the weapons physics. On the weapons it is just, IMHO, so dated to have a simple 'better gun takes less bullets' to kill system like CS has now. A new system that bases the weapon performance on its type would encourage new dimensions of gameplay where some maps might necessitate SMGs for run and gun accuracy while others need assault rifles for a good balance and maybe some sniper use. Take an SMG - as it is now the only real differance between it and an AK47 is that it takes twice the bullets to kill - both players act the same even as they are equipted totally differantly. Realistic or advanced weapon physics with bullet drop and based on weapon type would pit player against player instead of gun verse gun. I might only have an SMG but if we meet in a moving firefight I got the advantage while if we meet at mid or longer range you are superior. The advanced penetration matrix that Source has would play to this as well wtih differant materials being able to be penetrated by the appropriate weapons. Anyways, think about how it would work in a map like Office with tight halls SMGs and shottys would be great but on a map like dust with more focused choke points assault rifles would be the way to go but you could also go SMG and rush, your style would have to match your weapon and you would have to adapt your tactics to the situation. New more open and diverse maps would also highlight this new dimension more.
Anyways, aside from going on a diet that is what I would do if I was Gabe. I think it would bring new life (and new people) to CS/HL2 which would yield more money now and more money come CS2 time and it would fulfil the hype and promise that a long awaited game like HL2 has and that is NEW gameplay, CS:S just isn't new and doesn't live up to all HL2 was supposed to be. Something like the above would ALSO provide a good base for the MODs that are planeed to spring from, having just a plain 'ole sloppy CS:S port doesn't give MODs much to work with and detracts from the liklihood of great lasting MODs emerging.
First, very simple unspectacular DM with a few maps taken right from the game and using the various HL2 weapons. Certainly this is something that Valve can handle producing given the enormous revenue that HL2 is certain to generate and the amount of time they took making HL2. This MP would have been included in the bronze (cheapest) game package.
Second, Counter-Strike: Source. Maybe the 'main' MP for HL2 I would have made this part of the silver and gold packages and would have started by porting 1.6 over. Working out the kinks we are all experiencing now I would have added/changed the following:
1) Realistic weapons physics. No more of the all bullets travel the same but just inflict differant damages I would have added scope sway to the x-hairs that would be minimal for smaller weapons like SMGs and increased for weapons like the AWP. I would have it so that the weapon dictated the accuracy when moving, standing, etc so that, for instance, an SMG or shotgun is the only weapon that is really accurate on the move with the assault rifles behind that and then the scopped rifles and snipers paying a hefty price for not being stationary and even crouhed. I can go into more detail but the point being that 3 or 4 shots is a kill from any gun, the trick becomes using realistic weapon physics to distingiush the differant weapons. Sniper rifles would be one shot kill in cheast or head but would be not have the static unmoving crosshairs or quick zoom stuff that 1.6 has.
2) Damage, without going into too much detail as I am not a weapon expert number cruncher I would keep the 1 hit kill for headshots but buying a kevlar helmet would make it so a face hit is the only one hit kill and a hit to the rest of the head is more like 50% bonus to damage. 3 or 4 shots with about anything would be a kill and a system of a, say, a 50% dmg bonus for a head hit and 50% penalty for arm or leg hit. Point being that I would set it up to make HS something that takes some skill, random sprayed HS are far too frequent in CS, IMHO and kevlar helmet should make it a bit more difficult. The days of 8 or 9 hits for a kill would be gone, it simply is ridiculous to have people jumping and dancing around each other unload clips wiating to get a kill - gameplay is the main goal but keeping with the more realistic look and physics more realistic damage is essential to the experience.
3) Movement has to be dialed back from the Quake DM style of CS. Jumping 6 feet high and the Carl Lewis length of jumps would be dialed back and shooting while jumping would be an excercise in reducing your ammo count, not getting kills.
4) Maps would be non linear and open. Classice certainly have a place but the old practice of run to choke point A or B and fire, rinse and repeat can be expanded on to included more open areas and a good mix of choke points for firefights and open areas for tactics and even stealth. A little more space would be good too but not too big as quick rounds are important to the whole CS style. Porting the big maps like office, dust, dust2, and a few others would be a must but at least 2 or 4 new maps with a new 'style' would give the game a new dimension and maybe inspire mappers to come up with some new stuff.
5) Physics are important to Source and need to be important in any game running on Source to get the egnine's full ability worked into the gameplay. Just plopping items here and there that move is silly and detracts from play. Instead of that I would strategically place some items to allow them to be part of play instead of a footnote. Example, having doors that move when you bump then so they can be closed and even blocked with other objects in the area - nades could clear them even blowing them off thier hinges. Also, flying objects would inflict damage on anything they hit.
6) The money system, I think this may be a small thing but I would have a server setting to allow for two money systems. One for competition that is mainly rewarding on a team bases and one that is for public servers that rewards more on an individual basis. It could be something like on a public server you get 60% of money from your actions (plant bomb, pick up bomb, kill a guy, etc) and 40% from your teams performance (winning the rnd, getting some hosties, planting the bomb even if defused). Point is that there should be rewards for working the objectives and not just completing them. This would alleviate the team stacking on public servers to a degree and encourage players to go for the objectives as working them even if not completing them would yield reward.
I think this would not take a ton of 'work' over and above what the normal port has taken and the extra money from getting people into silver or gold would make up for it. It would still be CS but instead of CS on Source it would be CS WITH Source, big differance. It would also not be so differant that it would eliminate the future for CS2, in fact it would lay a good groundwork for whatever is next for CS. I thnk the key is the use of physics part and the weapons physics. On the weapons it is just, IMHO, so dated to have a simple 'better gun takes less bullets' to kill system like CS has now. A new system that bases the weapon performance on its type would encourage new dimensions of gameplay where some maps might necessitate SMGs for run and gun accuracy while others need assault rifles for a good balance and maybe some sniper use. Take an SMG - as it is now the only real differance between it and an AK47 is that it takes twice the bullets to kill - both players act the same even as they are equipted totally differantly. Realistic or advanced weapon physics with bullet drop and based on weapon type would pit player against player instead of gun verse gun. I might only have an SMG but if we meet in a moving firefight I got the advantage while if we meet at mid or longer range you are superior. The advanced penetration matrix that Source has would play to this as well wtih differant materials being able to be penetrated by the appropriate weapons. Anyways, think about how it would work in a map like Office with tight halls SMGs and shottys would be great but on a map like dust with more focused choke points assault rifles would be the way to go but you could also go SMG and rush, your style would have to match your weapon and you would have to adapt your tactics to the situation. New more open and diverse maps would also highlight this new dimension more.
Anyways, aside from going on a diet that is what I would do if I was Gabe. I think it would bring new life (and new people) to CS/HL2 which would yield more money now and more money come CS2 time and it would fulfil the hype and promise that a long awaited game like HL2 has and that is NEW gameplay, CS:S just isn't new and doesn't live up to all HL2 was supposed to be. Something like the above would ALSO provide a good base for the MODs that are planeed to spring from, having just a plain 'ole sloppy CS:S port doesn't give MODs much to work with and detracts from the liklihood of great lasting MODs emerging.
