DownFall

for Half-Life 2

5th July 2017

You are once more putting on the HEV suit as Gordon Freeman.

Your mission is to recover a newly developed technology by the resistance, known as the “citadel buster”, before the Combine manage to destroy it.

This was February 2021’s Classic of the Month mod.

Basic Details
  • Title: DownFall
  • File Name: Non applicable
  • Size : 2.6GB (Estimated)
  • Author: Marnamai
  • Date Released: 17 April 2017

Download Options

View the Steam page

Manual Installation Instructions

There are no manual install options for this release. It must be installed via the INSTALL button on the Steam page.

Awards

Downfall is a HALL of FAME entry

Playthrough Videos

The playthrough below is part of the Classic of the Month Event, run by Don AKA Unq.

The playthrough/walkthrough below is provided by PlanetPhillip. See more of my playthroughs on this site: VP: PlanetPhillip.

and for those who are curious, here is a playthrough of the beta version:

Panoramic Views

WARNING: The panoramic images contain spoilers and have quite large file sizes.
View from inside the gatehouse

View from the boathouse roof

View from near the train loader

Screenshots

WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.

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Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
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Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Reader Recommendations
Avoid It!
Think Twice
Maybe
Play It Later
Play It Now!

21 recommendations, average score: 4.9 (out of 5), standard deviation: 0.09 (what's that?)
Total Downloads
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Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 24 comment(s) with meta review data.

Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 24 Users

Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 51 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 23 Mins by Bratishka
Longest: 3 Hours by datguykirt
Total Time Played: 20 Hours, 16 Mins
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59 Comments

  1. Phillip's Favourite

    Firstly, allow me to apologise to Marnamai and you, the reader, for taking so long to post this. If you haven’t heard of this then you are in for a treat.

    This is an absolutely fantastic release. The combat is well planned and interesting, the design is complex and realistic and the attention to detail is admirable.

    This is a perfect example of what modders should be aiming for. It was built over a number of years and always quality was the goal – not an early release.

    It’s been a few months since I played it, so I can’t be more specific but I have no hesitation in recommending you play it as soon as you can.

  2. I saw it’s in steam and really like it!
    More mods for HL2 because i like HL2 mods so much!
    Play it nooooow!

    1. The recommendation image has been removed as the review is not long enough.

    2. mismail tamo

      how i play this mod on steam
      i cant download it because i dont have half life 2

  3. Short but sweet, felt like great another episode of the ongoing stories of Gordon freeman, looking forward to part 2.

    1. The recommendation image has been removed as the review is not long enough.

      1. C’mon, Phillip. You can’t just do that to these guys. I know it’s your sandbox, but be somewhat nice to them! 😉

  4. Personal Favourite

    Shorter than expected, but unbelievably well crafted. Since it’s free, the length isn’t an issue. I must say though that I appreciate this mod more as a piece of art than I had fun playing it, which is not supposed to mean that I didn’t enjoy it, but there are a few mods like Transmission Element 120 that I enjoyed more. You can expect Episode Two quality, although nothing out of the ordinary and no real surprises. This is obviously just Chapter 1, so I can understand why it starts slowly and safely. I hope Chapter 2 is a little more … spectacular? I guess? Again though, it’s extremely well made, and there is no reason not to play it. Definitly the best looking thing made with Source. Looks even better in some parts than some of the CS:GO map remakes (which looks amazing themselves).
    I can only hope to reach Marnamai’s level of skill some day.

  5. Wesp5

    I don’t understand the high praise here. So the map is indeed looking very beautiful and of overall high HL2:EP2 quality, but the gameplay and setting is just rather boring…

  6. I can’t download it through Steam, because it immediately says “platform not compatible”
    and while I am aware that it is a Windows-only game, I do know how to make it run on OS X, I’d just need to actually have the game downloaded first.
    could someone send me a download link to this game that ISN’T through Steam? or if Marnamai is reading this, send me a dropbox/mediafire/whatever link instead? It’d be much appreciated

    1. AI

      I have a late 2012 mac mini (MacOS Sierra) with Steam on it, I just checked the Steam Store and it won’t run on the Mac version only on Windows, I think I’m going to dump Steam!!

      1. Wesp5

        Yeah, why is this mod only available on Steam in the first place? I mean it’s free and rather small, so most people won’t care, but I have the bad feeling that this is just another attempt of Valve to trick modders onto their monopolistic system and once people got used to it, it’s time to try the paid mods model again to get another 30% revenue for stuff other people created withought actually making a game themselves…

        1. Valve has nothing to do with this Mod, and Mods being on Steam is nothing new.
          “So most people won’t care” -> wrong.
          Through Steam the author can reach a much bigger audience.

          1. Wesp5

            I thought you needed Valve’s permission to place something on Steam and this mod was listed in one row with HL2 and the episodes as though it was a standalone game…

            1. At the time, you just needed to get Greenlit, then Valve would work with you to get it formally published on Steam. Being on Steam lets you reach a larger audience, makes future updates far easier and makes it more convenient for users to install the mod.

              This isn’t the right approach for everyone, since getting Greenlit is time consuming and Valve has since changed the system, but I think it works well for Downfall, especially since there will be future updates to it.

              1. Valve really needs to get off their high-horse, and make getting “Green-Lit” easier, because by offering these mods, we *know*, beyond the shadow of a doubt (I hope) that the mods will work in the future. There have been so many awesome mods (CtA, Strider mountain, City 14, Ravenholm, and many others) that will no longer run on any of the HL games, because Valve updated the games and broke them; and the authors can’t/won’t fix them–for which I don’t blame them at all, because they put so much work into their mods, it would be a full-time gig just trying to keep up with Valve’s meddling.

                It’s sad, really. One of the best games ever, and they do everything they can to shoot themselves in the feet with an RPG.

      2. asterixer

        I think its no problem to run it under osx, i tried it under Linux and it runs fine. If wanted i can post the Linux Version, it should run under osx also…

        1. I could get it to run on OS X easily, it’s just a matter of changing the gameinfo.txt a bit, the problem is that Steam won’t even download it because the game is listed as being “Windows Only”
          heck, once I make it playable on OS X, I’d be more than happy to send it to Marnamai so he can add that to the Steam Page.
          I’m just so fed up with the Windows bias in the PC gaming community,
          I would love to play Transmissions: Element 120, but because it uses SDK Base 2007, I can’t
          I’d love to play Missing Information, or the Cinematic Mod, but those all add new weapons, which require one of the SDK Bases being installed: all of the SDK Bases (2007, 2013, etc) are incompatible with OS X

          1. AI

            I’m running my MacMini for now while my PC is reinstalling Doom2016, my question is what type of Mac are you running?? Can you split the HD in half, run with BootCamp and install W7?? This what I’ve done, this Mac only has Intel HD4000 graphics!! This has solved The Steam problem for me and I don’t worry about Steam mods too much! I’ll probably take heat on this, Macs are very good machines BUT they never went with the gamming aspect like PCs went!! So I’ve got both PC and Mac , but I started out in 1984 with an Apple II c! I do envy you guys that make this stuff !!

            1. I’m running a late-2016 MBP, loaded with OS X Sierra, 16gb of RAM, 1tb SDD, and a 128gb SD card
              and to be honest, I’m rather skeptical of dual-booting, I’ll probably just try and buy one of my dad’s old work-laptops off of him

  7. Personal Favourite

    I played this before it appeared on here straight from moddb, downloading the greenlight version from steam.
    This is an outstanding example of the way to get a mod right. A quiet drive to an equally quiet location sets the scene just right as you see the various signs of damage alerting you to trouble. The wood mill is detailed exquisitely and here you met the inevitable zombies with some intriguing new and humorous weapons thanks to the grav gun. Unfortunately poison headcrabs make their very unwelcome appearance as you discover new rooms and stairways.
    All this effort is used to raise a gate but it was quite a bit before I realised the water was okay for the buggy to traverse. High-speed splish-splashing is quite the thrill along with antlion ramming!
    Opening the mine the Gordon Freeman way was fun and then the mood changed, as it was dark and I feared facing an antlion guardian as in a lot of underground mods. Instead I found a ladder and ascended into the daylight and the ominous sound of a sniper, the most heinous enemy in the Half Life universe, for me that is!
    The rail marshalling yard is a huge set piece for the final battle, a long drawn out fight with combine and antlions and the usual sentry guns thrown in for fun. It is a long fight but there is plenty of ammo to find and new, interesting places to explore as you run and fight. At last things become quiet again and you can explore for those missing crates of salvation from damage and ammo deficiency!
    A save then head into that newly opened mine entrance to see what waits. A lift, elevator car, whatever is waiting for you. So it is another save and press the green button and head below to more trouble and… And that is the end of this entertaining mod!
    Over a half hour of exhilarating fun with, most importantly plenty of quiet time to explore and take in the many details and look for errors if you are that fussy before the combat! This mod had so much in such a small place.

    1. asterixer

      I think its no problem to run it under osx, i tried it under Linux and it runs fine. If wanted i can post the Linux Version, it should run under osx also…

      1. 2JEL

        How did you get it to install under linux?

      2. 2JEL

        Please post your linux version

  8. Personal Favourite

    its great to see half life 2 mods going back to their roots …. too many modders try too hard to make something ” non half life2″ however ive allways prefered the half life 2 mods which are similar to the original game while bringing completely different gameplay
    this had it all … combat,puzzle elements to name a few …. lets hope the author releases the continuation soon … i cant wait
    amazing mod and the best of 2017 .. classic

    1. let’s hope the author will mark it as Windows, Linux, OS X
      instead of just Windows, SO THAT I CAN ACTUALLY DOWNLOAD IT! xD

  9. 2JEL

    Please post a linux version! Steam will not allow installs of this version on my system.

    1. There is no OSX or Linux version. Marnamai has said that once the release has been finished (this is only part 1) then it will probably have those versions.

      1. I could make an OS X version! it’s easy as long as the game runs on the default Ep2 engine, instead of SDK 2007 or 2013

  10. Personal Favourite

    Add another PF rating, this map is fantastic! I can’t recall many other PF maps that match the extent of graphics display that this one has. The other area where the author obviously spent a lot of time was gameplay routes as well as the placement of items/ammo – not too much, not too little. The one shortfall compared to other PF maps is the relative lack of gameplay/battles.

    I spent way too long with the map mainly because of the hole in the roof and two moveable logs near the beginning.

    The map had multiple unusual routes to take that aren’t the most obvious, probably more of that approach than other maps. A lot of time was spent designing this!

    Regarding the graphics, sometimes there was so much “stuff” around, it bordered on being too much! No matter, this one is great and along with everyone else we are waiting for the next installment!

  11. zoe

    Ohhhh…I was so hoping that the saw mill was operational so that you could lure the creatures into a most gruesome death!

    Fantastic mod! I can’t wait for Part 2!

    1. Yeah, that would have been cool.

  12. Personal Favourite

    A fantastic little mod, maybe too short for this first part, but with good battle sequence! Always perfectly master, not too much, not too little! With different mechanics, you can use to defeat your enemies! The puzzle parts are good, not too hard and not too obvious, and they are pretty fun!The landscapes of this mods are amazing, a lot of good details, maybe too much by moments. It’s a beautiful world to walk around!
    The path to follow is easy to spot and you won’t be lost on the map, the workflow is great, maybe a little too much props in the saw mill by moment, but mhe, it’s just a little part of the map!
    Hope the part 2 will be as great as this part!

  13. Personal Favourite

    I actually played it when it came out on steam, which set the bar for it very very high. But as we have seen, some before mods weren’t that good. But this one was awesome! And I would’ve payed for it!

    At the first gate I got stuck a little, I did not know what to do. But that was rather my stupidity. The mod is realisticly and beautifully designed, I love it. I heard lots of people didn’t think the combat was too good, but I think it was better then the average mod. (Although I have seen better). The level had so many different environments, you went from a tunnel/forrest, to a village at the coast, between cliffes into a mine, to an industrial train station, into an antlion cave. All in such a small mod. I can’t wait for a second part. I suggest everybody to play this. The lightning was awesome, the combat was good, and the maps were beautiful.

  14. Hec
    Personal Favourite

    After playing this mod, my overall impression is that all of those PF recommendations are indeed worth giving.

    This work oozes quality in all of its details from those big details to the minor ones.

    It is set in a realistic HL2 universe with a realistic mission inside the resistance team. So I really loved that.

    The combat is really well planned, and although I didn’t feel it hardcore, it is very entertaining and the mixture between headcrabs, zombies, ant lions, and CMB, is one of the best and super well balanced I’ve ever played.

    The mapping is beautiful and to be in the Steam Green Light Program, I can say is almost Valve quality, so that’s again really important and this feels like an official Valve release.

    Finally, I can say I felt it quite short, and when I was in the elevator towards the deep of that mine, I just can’t help to shout: Oh boy this was so good I wanted more!!! I know and understand is a chapter 1 release, and I sure hope the sequel is gonna be as great as this one!

    In conclusion, this is a great old school classic HL2 Universe release. You know, one of those you just can’t miss!! So Play it Now!

  15. Robert

    Quite the treat to check RTSL randomly and find a fully fledged map to download, and a well made one at that! I got confused at the first gate and wandered about longer than I would like to admit trying to reconnect power to a prop that doesn’t move, until I finally drove around the shoreline and found the back side of the lumber mill.

    Some fairly interesting combat with zombies early due to limited ammo and close quarters, and the buildings themselves were well detailed and had plenty to explore. The latter half of the map with the train yard was quite good too, but felt less fleshed out than the first area. The map ended abruptly afterward which is the biggest letdown of this mod. I wanted to see more since it was such good quality.

    Very good, I will play it again for sure. Thanks for the great map, and I hope that you actually do get to continue your story it was great to play.

  16. Personal Favourite

    This is a terrific little mod. It installed with absolutely no issues and the quality was top-notch. I replayed it several times and did lots of exploring and the attention to detail was obvious everywhere. I especially liked the combat in the underground sections as the player gets a variety of weapons to choose from (crowbar, pistol, flammable canisters, flares, barnacles). You always have the gravity gun as well with lots of throwable objects to choose from.

    The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the spawning ant lions near the last tunnel. However the author included a way to deal with them and, once I figured that out, I was free to explore as much as I wanted.

    I really hope the author extends on this mod in the future – I would like to keep playing more!

  17. I enjoyed the game to a point. It was well made with a good deal of detail. The point at which I stopped enjoying it was where I discovered that you can’t win.

    What is the point in creating a game mod that does not allow you to complete the mission or even get close to the objective?
    The reason I played it for so long was that I thought I must have missed something and I kept going back to try to complete the mission.

    1. It’s only the first part, it will continue in a second part!

  18. It deserves to be on steam good work by marnamai

  19. Personal Favourite

    Definitely one of the best mods to come out of the modding community in a long time. Exceptionally well-designed, with multiple paths to get to the goal, and plenty of ways to get yourself killed. The settings looked great, the detail was excellent, and the gameplay is on-par with the original HL2 series.

    This mod truly looks like something that came out of Valve themselves, as a continuation of Ep2, or maybe an interlude between Ep1 and Ep2. Plus, with the fact the author is “Green-Lit” on Steam, it’s likely this mod will be around long after it’s completed, and available for play whenever we want (instead of dead like so many others because Valve updated the source and killed them).

    Whoever happens to be reading this thread, if you haven’t figured out that you MUST EFFING PLAY THIS, then stop reading and GO PLAY IT! You will enjoy it.

    Marnamai: Outstanding work. I can’t wait for Chapter 2 to be released. Thank you for all your hard work.

  20. Personal Favourite

    I wish this mod was longer, the cliffhanger is real! The combat was nice, encountering all 3 types of enemies. (Zombies/Headcrabs, Antlions, Combine)

    The level design is very rich in quality, really love the overrun house at the start of the game. I also like how you get the pistol from a gunsmith machine thing and how the sniper throw your grenade back out.

    The only issue I have is when I got inside the Combine’s house, my frame rate just dropped. Maybe because of my PC.

  21. Personal Favourite

    Very well done, the one thing I really enjoyed were all those hidden places that you get to find when you walk every where.

    You have good graphics, I did lag a little bit at first, but when I changed setting from medium to low, in all *detail* in advance options, like shadow, and model, it was great, I don’t much enjoy when you keep finding invisible walls, in this mod you get to be in *odd* places, (I fell in a hole and I actually got out of it).

    Reason I got this mod was because of Phillip’s wow, and yes it is a wow.

  22. Amazing game? cant wait second part!

  23. Play It Now!

    Like the Steam description says: short but sweet. The design is great, everything from the way enemies are spread to the visual storytelling of when you turn off the thumper. The game is not very space consuming, takes less than an hour to play, it’s quite easy to figure out most of the puzzles, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t play it.

    1. 1lucia

      First review that isn’t “Personal Favorite”. Kinda sad D:

  24. A beautifully-crafted couple of levels that feel like content cut straight from Ep2.
    Great pacing and memorable encounters remind us all what makes Half-Life good.

  25. Play It Now!

    Intense action, amazing maps and really good flow.

  26. Play It Now!

    This mod is short and simple. It does a good job of emulating Episode 2’s gameplay, and it’s fun, for the time it lasts. The level design is packed with puzzles and such leading to extra ammo and suit batteries. There’s not much else to say about it, except that I wish it was longer!

  27. Play It Now!

    Enjoyed it as much this time as last. Wish the story could have continued.

  28. Play It Now!

    Highly recommeded.

    Simple, clean and well designed.

    Hope the author would continue the map.

    1. Unq

      Recommendation was removed, you have to at least write a reaction or basic thoughts on the experience.

  29. Play It Now!

    Fun mod!

  30. Play It Later

    Really good!

  31. Personal Favourite

    Absolutely nails the Episode 2 feeling in ways that other mods very rarely manage. Believable setpieces, multiple ways to approach certain elements, and overall just pretty.

    For the short length of the mod I really liked the pacing. The rather slow exploration at the beginning, looking for supplies in every nook and cranny, then consistently turning up the pace by introducing Antlions and Combine and ending on a rather nice three way assault between you and them.

    My only “complaint” is that I wish there was more, however the 40 minutes I spent on it were definitely some of the best I had with a mod.

  32. Play It Later

    DownFall

    Not much for me to really say here, it’s a fairly short mod. Combat is as solid as HL2 combat normally is. What stuck out to me was how seamless this mod would feel if it was just a level in Episode 2, good mod.

  33. a short sweet hl2 ep2 spin-off

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