Maps of Black Mesa

[thomashiles]

Sorry, I know this isn't HL2 related, but the only other place I thought to ask was the PHL forums, and they seem to be pretty dead these days.

Had anyone ever seen or made (or tried to make) a map of the layout of the Black Mesa Research Facility?

 

[tehsolace]

A month after its release, PCGamer made a walkthrough for the whole game. They had alot of overview pictures of the map layouts, I think showing every single place.

 

[KingPing_NOR]

hmm...that would be cool

 

[Direwolf]

A long time ago I heard of someone trying to map the whole damn thing on one map just to see where the stuff fell in relation to each other, but I never heard about it after that.

 

[Maxi]

Wow, that sounds like a cool idea, maybe if no one has made one yet we should try to make one?

 

[thomashiles]

Well I have actually made a start. I've done some rough sketches of all of the office complex and of the high security storage facility (from "We've Got Hostiles"), just to get the proper layout. That only took me about an hour. I've made a start on the propulsion lab/Silo D (Blast Pit). I've got a long summer with nothing to do so on the horizon so hopefully if I don't get bored of it I will buy a cheap drafting program (suggestions welcome) and do proper, proportional plans. Of course I'll have to include stuff from Op For and Blue Shift as well.... My main worry is keeping things proportional...
I'm willing to collaborate, MaxiKana

 

[UKchaos]

Im sure, for the most part, a map would simply ends up as a long tangled string of corridors.

There are a couple of interesting parts that overlap however. The first is in 'on a rail' where you start at the base of the rocket and wind your way up to the top. I wonder if the various sections match up correctly. Also the large security doors at the end of the dam appear to lead to the entrance of the lambada complex (you can tell because the architecture is identical). Although since the door is closed you have to make a huge detour through the cliffs and army bases of'surface tension' and the bunker and sewer of 'forget about freeman'.

Only a fanatic would attempt to map it out though. You would need to use dev_overview 1 for each of the 100+ maps, making sure the scale is the same. And finally, stitch them together. The final image would be huge.

 

[galoot3000]

actually, me and some friends from school are converting the HL game into Dungeons and Dragons, Black Mesa and all, im not sure how it will turn out but i am also looking for a layout of the entire BMRF. if im successful ill post it later. if anyone has a link to the layout, it would really help, thanx

 

[Direwolf]

I wonder if the various sections match up correctly. Also the large security doors at the end of the dam appear to lead to the entrance of the lambada complex (you can tell because the architecture is identical).

Ahahaha...sorry, couldn't resist. :imu:

 

[KagePrototype]

The Lambada? That's the forbidden complex! :O

Sorry, couldn't resist. :bounce:

 

[UKchaos]

Ok, i just tried the dev_overview method and realised its physically impossible make 1 huge map of Black Mesa.

For example i took overview screenshots of maps c2a5, c2a5x, c2a5y, c2a5a, c2a5b and c2a5c (from the dam to the nuke). All shots are taken with an identical zoom value so everything is at the same scale. The attacked screenshot speaks for itself:

 

[Maxi]

Uh why? I don't get it, it looks very good.

 

[KagePrototype]

Uh why? I don't get it, it looks very good.

If you look closer, you'll see the nuke building (the one full of tripmines) overlaps the dam from a previous map. As well as a few other anomalies...

 

[UKchaos]

Uh why? I don't get it, it looks very good.

You didnt notice how the nuke building overlaps the dam?

I suspect the c2a5x and c2a5y were added at a later stage so it messed up the layout.

 

[thomashiles]

Pshaw, I/we will use artist licence. I was never planning on using dev_overview method anyway, so what do I care what problems it throws up...

 

[Maxi]

Ahh, diddn't notice that.

/me blushes.

 

[DC9884]

get to work thomas! we are waiting upon thee!

 

[Darkknighttt]

I want black mesa maps!

 

[FictiousWill]

I tried to take dev_overview shots of every map but it takes the shots of the console before the map has loaded.

sv_cheats 1
alias setdev "dev_overview 1"
alias snapit "wait; wait; wait; wait; wait; wait; wait; setdev; screenshot"

map "c0a0"
snapit
map "c0a0a"
snapit

...and so on

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

At the start of the game just after you get off the tram there's an ingame map of the Sector C test labs on the wall to your right (when the security guard says "We had a system crash and I'm still tryin' to find my files)

 

[Brian Damage]

When I read a little way into this thread, I thought "The maps won't match up. There'll be anomalous intersections."...

Oh, well, artistic license can cure anything :E.

 

[Sulkdodds]

And a good job too. There is an excellent map of the train system and a list of facilties in Blue Shift, so PM me if you want full details of where it is. Plus, the door at the end of the dam leads to a large outdoor freight storage yard - you go there in Op4.

 

[impakt]

Even if some parts seem to overlap the dam you should take height differences into account, the labs are located beneath the surface, remember ?

 

[UKchaos]

Even if some parts seem to overlap the dam you should take height differences into account, the labs are located beneath the surface, remember ?

In the map i posted, there are no labs, all areas are outside, you can see the sky in every bsp. If your going to make a map that works your going to have to move things around.

 

[UKchaos]

Plus, the door at the end of the dam leads to a large outdoor freight storage yard - you go there in Op4.

Thats true in opforce, but this clearly shows how valve intended it:

 

[Maxi]

Thats...freeky. Wonder if it's possible to make a map outta hl2?

 

[thomashiles]

Wow, good find UKchaos! So it looks like you should be able to go straight from the biolabs (questionable ethics) into Lambda in a few steps. This is so compelling that I might have to make a seperate map with that and with the OpFor setup...perhaps we could say that the resonance cascade continued to flux and changed the layout of the area by the time Shepard got there
Are there any similar match-ups you've found?

 

[Sulkdodds]

That's really odd. But the two entrances could have been quite a way apart, if they simply were two ends of a long tunnel. In fact, I just realised that in op4, you come in from the freight yard via a side door. There is a small tunnel behind that door on the dam, and another blast door that you can't get through (I think). It looks like it really does lead to the Lambda complex.