Taking place shortly after the events of Half life 2: Deep Down, Aftermath follows Gordon, now separated from Alyx, as he returns to the surface to find that the death of the Combine Advisor has not made the world any easier.
- Title: Aftermath
- File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-aftermath-updated.7z
- Size : 38.40MB
- Author: Jim Partridge
- Date Released: 17 May 2015
Jim would like to thank Fodderstompf for his work on detailing certain sections of the maps.
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Download directly into MapTap [38.40MB]
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Download to your HDD [38.40MB]
You can still use it with MapTap once you have downloaded it.
- Copy the aftermath folder into your …\Steam\SteamApps\common\sourcemods\ folder.
- Restart or start Steam.
- Aftermath should now be listed in your Library tab.
If you require more help, please visit the Technical Help page.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
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4,853Overall
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252365 days
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 9 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 3 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 30 Mins by Daken50
Longest: 1 Hours, 43 Mins by EmoLevelDesigner
Total Time Played: 10 Hours, 30 Mins
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Who doesn’t love Jim’s work? Not me. Yes, that’s right, I don’t not love Jim’s work. More double negatives than an Opposite Day Spock. Phew!
What I am trying to say is that I loved this.
It’s certain a mod of three distinct maps, each one offering the player something new.
There are a few hidden Easter Eggs for those inclined to look, but there are no screenshots of those to help you.
The first two maps build up nicely for the finale and that last map is an absolute gem.
All maps feature complicated, but believable areas, with very enough scope to move in a few different ways.
The final map is linear but visually gorgeous and the gameplay is active enough that you never feel like it is.
I’m sure you will have a lot of fun playing this the first time and a different kind of fun replaying.
Expect a video playthrough from me soon.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour, 17 Minutes
Okay, beautiful level design, that is true! But the gameplay? It starts off with a stupid stacking puzzle and with barrels no less. If there is one thing I hate about the HL2 physics system it’s that you can’t turn objects around like you want. What comes next? Oh, a stupid stacking puzzle with endless spawning antlions! Unless I missed something there this was a very bad first impression for me. The rest of the maps were fine, besides some similar annoying jumping puzzles later, but overall I would say people shouldn’t forget that playing a map should be fun ;)!
Oooops… apparently there’s a number of other source mods called Aftermath… ! wonder if I’ll get sued! lol
This is a mod that makes me wish that the “Play It” rating and the stars were disconnected. Should you Play It Now? Of course! It’s a fairly lengthy mod in a drought of custom HL2 content. But is it a 5-star mod? Not really.
The level design is very meandering and unfocused. You aimlessly wander up, down and through some overly convoluted and claustrophobic structures to push buttons and pull levers, often stumbling into the solutions before finding their respective problems. The mod attempts to throw curveballs at you constantly, but rarely did I find these additions to be that much fun. It was just something else to do, some new wrinkle to overcome.
While nothing was outright bad (despite the mod’s unhealthy obsession with stacking “puzzles” and platforming, including a completely nonsensical bit with moving elevators), it wasn’t particularly inspiring either. The mod is so busy trying to present different mechanics, for better or worse, that it doesn’t explore any of them to their fullest potential. We just move on to the next half-realized setpiece. This gives it a disjointed, haphazard feeling.
Even trivial stuff is rough around the edges. None of the ladders dismount from the top. Invisible walls block off paths that seem traversable. The lack of a Pistol is strange. There are numerous overlapping textures. The third and final level needed more optimization work. And every map greets you with a “Node Graph out of Date” error.
So, all-in-all, it’s a decent release and well above average, but I feel it should have been better. It’s a step down from the author’s previous release, Deep Down, which had similar lack of polish, but a more clear, cohesive sense of what it was trying to do.
Manually
Medium
40 Minutes
Nailed it. Thear are actually three standalone maps that I connected. Had the first two pretty much done since last year and completed the third recently. Until this morning there was no story. It seemed to bother some testers so added the text and Alyx at the end.
I didn’t want to waste them so thought I’d put them out for peeps to enjoy… In hindsight however I would have preferried to present them simply as a connected map pack to avoid comparisons to a more complete work like deep down.
Yeah, I thought you were gonna separate the maps. So I got pretty surprised when I got to a loading screen in the first map. The transitions do work, though (which probably has to do with it’s origins), but I think having the map be separate might have gotten rid of some of that “hap hazard” feeling. The moment you have the player go back to the menu to select the next map it sorta flips a switch–while if you include a level transition the experience becomes less “gamy” and you expect it to flow.
I love your reviews. They are insightful and fair.
The “Node Graph out of Date” error is due to replacing the maps at the last minute – so my fault really.
Hi, i downloaded the mod and i pasted it under sourcemods, but it don’t shows in my steam library.. Any help ? Sorry my english and congratz for the site.. Ah i find it.. Nevermind lol
Glad you found it. I hope you enjoy it.
I enjoyed it very much, the second level in particular. The autor have talent.. When the sequel ? 😉
This is “almost” the sequel. You should play his other work.
Yeah, i played Deep Down last year and even if i liked it, i think this is better. So i meaned “the sequel of the sequel”.. i want more in other words.
Incidentally, does anyone else get an annoying white flash whenever you’re hit in the third level? Was that always there and the darkened lighting just makes it more apparent, or is something wrong? I feel I’ve come across this before and I have verified files (in fact, this thread mentions it, but I haven’t seen many solutions: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1844724 ).
Perhaps it’s that trigger_hurt bug again. You may want to take a look at this:
Perhaps the mapper used one of these for a trigger_hurt? I did get poisoned by headcrabs plenty of times but never got this bug, on the other hand, I never got damage by an environmental poison/chemical source, so I may have missed the bug.
Hey JG, been a while since I’ve played this, but were you damaged by radiation (in particular the greenish goop hl2 uses) before encountering this issue?
I’ve read this complaint before, and it’s an old engine bug that causes all damage flash overlays to use the one for radiation, if the player was damaged by radiation that map. The damage flash overlay for radiation is the white flash you’re describing.
If so, it’s likely not your files, just a weird old hanging issue that game’s always had (as far as I know anyway).
I think quicksaving and quick reloading fixes the issue, if it indeed the radiation thing.
Yeah, I encountered this too, its probably due to the acid lion. A real shame steampipe didn’t fix this.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I got splashed by an Acid Antlion back in the first level. That’s a rather embarrassing bug.
This is a good mod. No more and no less.
I enjoyed every bit of it and I think what I like most is that it looks fun to explore. I found myself thinking “Oh that looks cool, I wanna go there” and most of the time I could actually go there. The maps feel open with multiple paths to the same area.
The gameplay is classic to Jim Partridge, a bunch of Ideas well put together. These Ideas are fun and either new ideas or old ones with a twist to make them feel fresh.
Okay, now to the cons. Its way to easy. Until the strider at the end, I had +80 health all the time. I like a bit of challange when playing. And about the story. What story? I don’t feel a connection to Deep Down. Alyx at the end felt a bit lazy, like “Alright then, I’ll add a bit of story”
You should definetily play this, it was great fun.
Only one Prob under Linux: I was not able to jump into the vent shaft over the fence and had to use noclip here.
This mod was visually fearly enjoyable 🙂
you need most of the time to think was next to do and also keep attention to traps…but when it’s challenging it’s sometimes frustrating that’s why i gave it a play it later but don’t forget is a 4 stars on five !
Using Gauge
Medium
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
I took roughly 45 minutes to play this (I might do it again in the future).
Right off the bat, JP always adds that little touch to make his levels unique, some people have talent and imagination, and that is what makes a level look good.
Of course, I do not say I have the best level design skills either, but all I am looking for is the best for the level designers. We all start from somewhere, we all make mistakes and we all learn (Owww that was beautiful, love me plzzzz).
The little downside I had with Aftermath is that I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Deep Down, and we will try to understand why.
Now this is just me, but I like having some kind of good start (does not mean it has to be like Half-Life 2, but it could be like a small cinematic fly-by with the information like it appeared at the beginning of the mod).
I like finding the weapon first rather than having it right off the bat when I boot up the first chapter.
Deep Down wanted you to use your brain a little more for the puzzles, in this one, I felt like I was just walking & shooting – I did not use my brain that much (it does not mean it is bad, I just felt like I need some challenge).
There was not much combat nor that much thinking which links this statement to the previous note.
There were a few level design flaws. It did not disturb the gameplay at all, but at least he knows what to fix.
Now, to the good things.
Good level design, nice atmosphere, very representative of the area you are in with the lighting, soundscapes, layout, etc…
The ideas brought to life in this mod were good and it is already better than loads of other mods.
That sums it up for the good part.
I say Play It Later!
Manually
Medium
45 Minutes
I don’t know, I have a pretty much mixed feeling with this mod. I mean, when I was playing it, many, many things happened that it didn’t use to happen when I played other mods. But mainly, I get lost many times in the map, I found pathways very confuse, and those old school stack the box puzzles were very annoying in many parts.
Now, the mapping itself was pretty nice, the environment was great, at least for the 2 first maps. The first map was quite impressive but way too focused on the pathway puzzles and those antlion and poison antlion attacks were very annoying. The second map was my favourite with that Ravenholm old mine abandoned scary town feel. And the third map started right but then, frankly screw the whole environment for me.
I felt this mod was not fluid at all. You have to stack many stuff to get out in many places, and the average feeling is that I had to skip many physical hindrances and annoying obstacles to keep moving, so probably that’s what i hate the most.
Combat at the end was OK but it was pretty scarce, and then the battle against that Strider was a big pain in the but, because my main problem in there was that I retrieve the RPG, but it’s freakin 3 ammo supply wasn’t enough to kill the damn thing!!!!!!!!! So what do you expect me to do??? throw flaming barrels at it?? I mean really, do I have to backtrack AGAIN!!!!! to kill the strider??? COME ON!!!! My point is: that was a total killjoy man!!! It was the perfect way to destroy the connection and immersion of the game. Why to make that freakin Strider almost invincible!!!! And also is so mandatory to kill it because if not Alyx just won’t appear from that elevator.
Sorry but that last part almost ruin all the mod experience to me, probably if that final section is fixed and you make the strider easier to kill with only 3 hits, the whole mod could be better.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
There’s two AR2 Alt-Fire crates right at the end area!!!
Why do you only want to destroy strider with rockets?
Not everyone realizes AR2 alt fire can kill Striders. I sure didn’t.
NO KIDDING!!! I ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO IDEA!!! well then thanks for the advice Ill try..
I think you could argue that because the Combine energy balls in the Citadel can kill the Strider in that one scene, maybe that’s why it’s assumed to be common knowledge? But that was either a one-shot or very close to it. You could launch 3 AR2 alt-fires into a Strider and it won’t look damaged. I’m not sure the mental connection is very clear.
That’s exactly what happened to me my friend, I always thought AR2 Energy Balls were absolutely useless against Striders. Besides, we rarely see that in a mod. Because 3 shoots are totally ineffective against the striders I guess probably between 9 or 12 energy balls shoots are enough to beat the Strider??
Anyway, I think many modders don’t provide enough Energy Balls for the AR2 when we battling against a Strider.
The common ammo against them are the RPG Rockets.
I have mixed feelings about this mod, the environments are interesting to explore, the problems are that it’s a little rough around the edges (invisible walls, doors opening towards the player and inconsistent rules about which objects can be manipulated with the gravity gun being regular problems), and there are also a number of frustrating object stacking and platforming puzzles.
The first map of the 3 is definitely my least favourite, the antlion sandtrap really put me off, not having a gun to deal with the antlions made touching the sand extremely punishing in a situation where it wasn’t clear where the exit was.
The second map, after a frustrating and bizarre platforming section involving elevators opened up into a well crafted Ravenholme style area with a really satisfying use of a sloped roof as a means of progression and some decent zombie combat with a couple of nasty scares.
The third map is definitely my favourite, featuring the best navigation puzzles in the mod set inside a vast cavern. I really enjoyed the chase leading up to the final confrontation with the Strider, having only 3 rockets provided was a little confusing, I liked the idea of not taking a conventional approach with the Strider but I found myself searching for more rockets to no avail on the first playthrough, perhaps there needed to be a more clearly defined method for the player to deal with the Strider.
Overall I’d recommend this mod, although I think some of the details let it down.
now this is how a mod should be made .. this has everything and is so nice to play but you wouldnt expect anything else from jim partridge …
its going on nearlly 9 years since i first played half life 2 ( and 300hrs on steam ) but i still dont get tired of playing mods and maps especially when they are as good as this
i could go on but dont listen to me .. just play it .. this is pure class .. !
Manually
Easy
55 Minutes
I’ve mixed feelings about this map. It’s one of those that I desperately wanted to like and keep but it fails in a number of ways. For me, I mean. Although I can understand why some guys here love it but it just didn’t work for me, as a whole..
The graphics and environments are lovely but I strangely found myself getting a little bored also, which is odd. I’d have liked just a liiiitle more ammo in certain places too. The ant lion parts where extremely frustrating too lol
Nice mod here and well worth a play, I just didn’t feel it was a classic, overall.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
How did I manage to play this and not review it? I’m redownloading and going to replay now to refresh my memories before deciding on any 2015 votes.
I’m listing this as “manual” and “1 hour 10 minutes” because though I did just replay it using maptap and took maybe 45 minutes to play through, I’d originally played at least that long before.
The locations in this mod are just beautiful, though a bit confusing in places and kind of frustrating given that you’ve got the grabbity gun quite early on, and should be able to use it to blow yourself a couple holes in the termite-eaten walls. That said, finding your way around the inside of an oddly convoluted industrial barn… was fun! I found myself remembering ‘oh yeah, don’t touch the floor’ and ‘hmm there’s a zombie here…’ And even when I have a gun? I’m still about 80% likely to just go through with the grabbity gun instead.
The fights are all very solid, though I’d prefer a touch more health sitting around during the last cavern fight.
The only puzzle area I didn’t care for either time I played, was that darn elevator room. At least you don’t die when you fall. Still though, gravity gun should allow you to hit things from afar or slow them down, though I think tricks like that aren’t really available in the engine so much.
A well made mod, a bit sparse for interaction in places. Very clever areas and solutions. The middle map definitely felt Ravenholm-like, spooky and isolated, kind of left as-is abruptly.
Good work. Worth playing to say the least.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour, 10 Minutes
The design is a huge improvement over Deep Down. The locations look very impressive, with excellent architecture, well thought out complex layouts and atmospheric lighting. Before getting outside, there’s nice buildup where we can only see outdoor parts through the windows. Thoughtful implementation of complex layouts paid off – we’re always aware of surrounding environment, so it doesn’t feel like getting through a convoluted maze.
The locked house with powerups is an excellent example how well this mod is thought out. If it doesn’t occur to the player where to look for entrance, ventilation grate will eventually be seen through the window.
Platforming on moving elevators is interesting and original idea.
Unfortunately, looking closer at the first level will reveal stretched textures and places where displacements are not properly connected with each other.
The combat includes taking on antlions with gravity gun, ravenholm-styled fun and hard encounters with the Combine. At the beginning, the antlions were appearing over and over again for too long, which is a shame: throwing barrels at them would be fun if they didn’t overstay their welcome.
When the Strider appears, there is a good opportunity to throw occasionally found exploding barrels and energy balls at it. Too bad this opportunity is likely to be overlooked due to player’s search for rocket launcher and rockets. If only there was something that would inobtrusively make it clear that there won’t be a crate with rockets anywhere.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour, 43 Minutes
Glad you spotted and appreciated my slow reveal technique in the second map. Sure I picked it up from something in the official campaign but can’t recall which bit… still will use the technique in future…
*looks at screenshots*
sweet! i’m not the only one who uses the hd weapon models from GameBanana! xD
This author makes some good stuff. Looks and plays great.
Manually
Easy
30 Minutes