NostalgiaVille

for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

15th July 2018

Half-Life 2 has been around for longer than 13 years, but many will agree that the game has still not lost its charm.

However, as Episode 1 and 2 came out, people switched their focus to the new environments and gameplay that were introduced.

NostalgiaVille seeks to balance out the scale by re-introducing the classic environments of Half-Life 2 in the modern day.

Play through 8 official entries and 1 bonus map in this special 2018 mapping challenge.

Basic Details
  • Title: NostalgiaVille
  • Filename: sdk-2013-sp-rtsl-sc18-nv-v1.1.7z
  • Size : 104MB
  • Author: Dolmo, Joey Simas, T.B. Maloney AKA Papa Rabbi, Derek Jones AKA Taz, TheVikingBoi, Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon, Sockman, Nikodem Nowak AKA WALLe PL, Clément Baticle AKA Klems
  • Date Released: 15 July 2018

Download Options

Download to your HDD [104MB]

Download the 1.1 patch to your HDD (only if you downloaded the 1.0 version) [3.01MB]

THIS VERSION CURRENTLY CAN NOT BE USED WITH GAUGE. SORRY

Manual Installation Instructions
  • Make sure you have the “Upcoming” branch of the Source SDK Base 2013 Singleplayer installed in Steam and run at least once. (Properties – Betas – select “upcoming” from the dropdown list).
  • Copy the “sdk-2013-sp-rtsl-sc18-nv” folder into your “SourceMods” folder.
  • Restart or start Steam.
  • RTSL.SC2018.NostalgiaVille should now be listed in your “Library” tab.

Reviewing

If you decide to use the Per-Map Opinion Images, please watch the video below and use this text file: sc18-nv-review-template.txt
Thank you.

Theme Details

In this challenge, you are given 2 months to create a level set in the early chapters of Half-Life 2 (think City 17 up to and including the Coast, however we find that the City and Canal sections in their pre-Uprising state are the least prominent within usual challenge entries). Don’t feel pressured to work for the whole 2 months, as that would mean a high risk of burning out, but consider the possibilities for the scope and scale of your entry.

A big focus of NostalgiaVille is, well, Nostalgia. The player should be reminded of the time when they first played Half-Life 2, and levels should, to some degree, feel familiar. So feel free to include HL2 Easter eggs, references, and maybe even altered segments of the original chapters in your entries. However, with time, technology and level design practices have improved.

We would like the early Half-Life 2 environments to be used and a level of familiarity in the level design to be kept, but gameplay can be either similar to the way it was in the original game or changed to add new concepts into the old environments, thus combining the new and old in your entry. Keep in mind that even if your map follows the same ideas from the environments in Half-Life 2, it should be polished and up-to-date with modern standards in other design aspects.

A good example of this is Jason Gimba’s Precinct 17, which is set in pre-Uprising City 17, Half-Life 2 but is detailed more similarly to an Episode 2 map, with more brushwork, props, higher lightmap density, particle effects and HDR. Undoubtedly, it is also structured better than old Half-Life 2 levels and mods, with clear distinction between action and calm moments, and there are plenty of techniques which manage how the player is led through the level and how they discover their surroundings.

Custom models, textures, music and other assets are very welcome, as long as they are integrated well into the environment.

Here is the challenge announcement page.

About This Special Challenge

This challenge is a joint challenge between RTSL and Niker107. He suggested the theme, wrote the description, the length of time and other aspects. Essentially, it’s his challenge but run through RTSL.

Deadline

The deadline for submission was 11pm UTC Sunday 24th June 2018

Entries

Listed as they are displayed in the mod itself:

  • Metro by Sockman
  • Cosmonaut By Dolmo
  • Lone by TheVikingBoi
  • Here Again by Derek Jones AKA Taz
  • Canal Escape by Joey Simas
  • Grigori by Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon
  • Power Up by Nikodem Nowak AKA WALLe PL
  • Badwater 128 by T.B. Maloney AKA Papa Rabbi
  • Freeman and Bob by Clément Baticle AKA Klems (Bonus)

The order of the maps was generated via random.org

Winner and Points

Remember, the judges scoring is based on the final map submitted BEFORE the deadline. The actual released versions of maps and therefore the ones you played, may differ significantly from those initially submitted.

Full details of the scoring will be posted soon.

Judges
  • Niker107 – NostalgiaVille host, HL2 mapper, RTSL ville participant, Joint 2nd Place winner of The Hammer Cup 2016.
  • TanookiSuit – Experienced CS:GO mapper, member and staff on MapCore.org, 3rd Place winner of the MapCore 2017 level design competition.
  • 3kliksphilip – CS:GO / Source mapper, creator of many early Hammer tutorials, prominent CS:GO YouTuber.
  • Klems – HL2 and CS:GO mapper, 1st Place winner of The Hammer Cup 2017.
  • TheWhaleMan – Experienced 3D modeler, environment and texture artist, member of MapCore.org
prizes

The top 3 entrants will win cash prizes as follows, all paid via PayPal:

  • First place: $300
  • Second place: $200
  • Third place: $100

In addition, I am also very pleased to announce that a Metrocop face mask will be very kindly supplied by Michelle Sleeper and you can actually watch them being made on the Making It Up Twitch channel. Go check it out. Shows are on Tuesday and Saturday.

The Face mask will be offered as an alternative to the cash prize for the winner. If the cash is chosen, then the face mask will be offered to the second place and so on. If the third place chooses the cash, Niker and Phillip will decide how to allocate the face mask.

Community Poll

Time for you to share your thoughts! Vote for your top 3 NostalgiaVille maps. Poll closes at the end of July 2018.
Freeman and Bob has not been included in this poll as it was a bonus entry.

What are your 3 Favourite maps from NostalgiaVille

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Voting closes 31st July 2018

Release Versions

0.9 – Judges’ and Entrants’ Version. First versions of maps. Version used to judge the entries.
1.0 – First public release. Badwater 128, Power Up, Here Again and Lone have been updated.
1.1 – THIS RELEASE. Updated the server and client dlls to the latest versions.

Credits

The RunThinkShootLive.Com introduction video was made by Jeff Muñoz (ThatoneJeff)” and he also significantly helped with logo design – thanks Jeff, you ROCK!

Caleb West (CW3D) created the extended remix of Brane Scan originally by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life 2

Steam Grid View Images

There are two custom gridview image included in this release.
They were the ones that had chapter images supplied by the entrant. That will be the new way of doing things from this point forward.
To use either of them, switch your Steam Library view to Gridview.
Right click on RTSL.SC2018.NostalgiaVille and chose “Set Custom Image”.
Click “browse” when a small windows appears and navigate to your SourceMods folder and the “sdk-2013-sp-rtsl-sc18-nv/steam-gridview-images/” folder and select the image of your choice.
You can of course, create your own image and use that.

General Entry Rules

PLEASE READ THEM SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY.

  • Download the Submission Template and use that to submit your entry. The only exception is if you intend to submit only a map with no custom content – in which case you can just send the map (bsp), the graph file (ain), your mapname_readme.txt, and optionally the map source (vmf).
  • End your map with a point_clientcommand firing this exact command: disconnect; startupmenu
  • Maximum three maps per mapper per entry.
  • The map must be original and not have been released publicly before.
  • The map must run in system with only Ep2 installed
  • By entering the competition you grant PlanetPhillip.Com and RunThinkShootLive.Com the right to release the map as part of the RTSL-SC2018-NostalgiaVille Mod.
  • Maps must not appear on ANY other website before the release and for one month after the release of the mod.
  • No assets from retail games other than HL2, HL2: Ep1, HL2: Ep2 and Lost Coast are allowed.
  • Other assets are allowed with written permission from their original authors, which MUST be included in the entry, preferably a link to a public page that shows permission has been granted, in addition, custom assets AND MUST BE ABLE TO BE USED IN MONETISED VIDEOS.
  • All files submitted MUST be in lowercase and any custom assets must have unique names, both folder AND files.
  • Entrants are requested to send their VMF files in with their entry. A section in the ReadMe.txt file will make it clear that they are for educational purposes ONLY and MUST NOT be used as the base for other levels without prior permission of the respective author.
  • Phillip’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into about it.
  • The map MUST have a proper name.
  • The map MUST have a proper filename: entryname_tlc18_c2.bsp
  • Submit a mapname_readme.txt with your entry. Even if it is just your name and your entry, although you should try to create a proper one.
  • If you do not receive a confirmation email without 24 hours of sending an entry, contact Phillip IMMEDIATELY.

In addition, any custom content must be able to be used in monetised playthrough videos posted on the internet.

Sponsorship

This challenge was not sponsored. If you are an individual or company and interested in sponsoring a challenge, please contact Phillip (runthinkshootlive@gmail.com) to discuss the options.

Panoramic Images

Comin Soon.

Videos

Coming Soon.

Playthrough Screenshots

Comin Soon.

Reader Recommendations
Avoid It!
Think Twice
Maybe
Play It Later
Play It Now!

6 recommendations, average score: 5 (out of 5), standard deviation: 0 (what's that?)
Total Downloads
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Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 6 comment(s) with meta review data.

Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 6 Users

Time Taken:
Average: 2 Hours, 33 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours, 45 Mins by Kgamer
Longest: 3 Hours, 15 Mins by MinorLimes021
Total Time Played: 15 Hours, 15 Mins
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21 Comments

  1. Anon_1677424

    Linux: You have to lowercase all files. Then it is playable. Badwater 128: The helicopters didnt attac me. The Bonus Level: I had no key to send my mate anywhere…

    1. That’s kind of silly… You know you can rebind keys right?

      1. Anon_1677493

        Yes i know, but in the options menu there was no menupoint “send xxx to” etc. Do you have a solution?

        1. The command you’re looking for is “Send/Recall Squad”, it should be in the options menu. Otherwise the console command is impulse 50, you can bind it yourself with “bind c “impulse 50″” for instance.

  2. per map opnions aren’t available for me.

    1. Try now, although I recommend using the review template anyway.

  3. Play It Now!

    Although, there are only a few maps that I consider it good, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t play it later. Plus, you should try it out if you’re really looking forward to see if you could get some HL2 nostalgia.

    Metro

    Before heading outside from the train station, I was already expecting that this map wasn’t going to be as detailed as the original Half-Life 2. There were many areas that felt either too big, empty, or flat. There was one part of the map where you have to jump from a building into a water section below to escape a metro cop, which doesn’t make any sense because it seemed very obvious that you would die from that fall.

    Enough with the criticism, I’ll now point out the pros in this entry. The atmosphere was decent and it was compressed so it feels that you went through the chapters of Point Insertion to the end of Water Hazard. The combat was okay, but I felt it wasn’t executed correctly (i.e. inaccurate enemy placement).

    Cosmonaut

    Loved the level of the detail placed into this entry. The design of each map feels just like Half-Life 2 with level transfers done correctly. From my HL2 experience, I think that this entry is supposed to be based from the sections Point Insertion to the beginning of Water Hazard. Combat and puzzles were also pretty fun, though it would be difficult, but better, to have lesser supplies (like health and ammo).

    Lone

    At first glance, I thought this entry would be at least okay, but it wasn’t as good as I expected when I got to the later levels. The design was mediocre with its textures and props that look unrealistic and locations that don’t make sense. The combat was unintentionally difficult since enemies have the upper advantage by being placed too close to the player. There was also a lot of problems that I had with the strider fight. While there is some cover I could use to avoid the strider’s attacks, it’s hard to avoid as the strider walks around and I needed to be very careful to get to a rocket supply crate as it’s placed in the middle of the area. While this is based on Ravenholm, I felt its design flaws didn’t really capture its atmosphere and more importantly, didn’t make me feel “nostalgic” at all.

    Here Again

    The atmosphere that was supposed to give me this feeling of nostalgia was decent in this entry. The design, meh. There were a few problems that I encountered it it and were distracting. Some examples include the voice line that repeats every time you get to the stairs. The weapon choices were also a poor choice because when I found a pistol in one of the rooms, I thought I had to use it to kill the metro cops. This is when I realize that I wasn’t supposed to do that, but instead find a crowbar on a table and use it to break the windows and exit the building. The biggest problem in this entry is the train that runs in the sewer. The train runs through the tunnel without any rail tracks and there were metro cops standing on the crates, chilling there as if they don’t care about the train at all.

    Canal Escape

    While it is not detailed as any other Half-Life 2 map, it’s not too bad. The area where you enter the canal was the major part that made me remember the water sections of Route Kanal. The part where you were about to fight the combine soldiers and hunter chopper was okay, though distracting at the same time. This entry was pretty good as it barely fitted with the theme of this competition.

    Grigori

    Another Ravenholm-based entry, but done better. The surprising thing about this entry was that I didn’t expect to use the “unused” Annabelle that Father Grigori used in Half-Life 2 (though it’s also weird because this weapon uses the shotgun view model instead). Unfortunately, this map suffers downsides from Lone, such as the use of lighting, terrain, and level of detail. Because of that, this entry at least needs to have some improvements.

    Power Up

    Pretty sure this is the only map that focuses on puzzles instead of combat. In my opinion, it was boring to run around trying to figure out what the metro cop had asked you to do. The area was also too big and felt empty. Though not a decent entry, it did had some nostalgic feeling to HL2, so I’ll say it’s okay.

    Badwater 128

    The combat and design was great and it was cool that the mapper decided to use the “gunship” hunter chopper from Lost Coast. However, the problem that the entry suffers from is its atmosphere, which takes the HL2 nostalgic feeling away due to its use of color correction.

    Freeman and Bob

    Even though this is supposed to be a Bonus entry, I thought it was still okay to do a short review on this. In response to Klems who made this map, kudos for you for making the recall squad concept more useful! This was something that could’ve been improved from the original Half-Life 2, and I was happy to see it come to use, especially for puzzles. Other than that, the design and combat was as good as usual.

  4. Play It Now!

    Finally, the greatest challenge yet of 2018 has arrived! My God, I almost ran out of things to review on this site and play in GMod. Let’s see what this challenge have for us.

    Metro
    It is bad

    A recreation of first five chapters of Half-Life 2. The levels are extremely empty; citizens barely have any dialogues and aimlessly wander around the subway station. I have a feeling that the creator got a little overambitious here, the level even barely connects to each other in a way that does not make any sense. I didn’t enjoy it much really, it was stale. Some transition is so weird, you survived an eight-story drop into the water, a random barricade in the street with a random ladder, and you somehow wind up and find a random airboat that is just there for no reason.

    I’m sorry, I cannot give you better rating.

    Cosmonaut
    It is great!

    An almost very faithful recreation of Half-Life 2’s early chapters. I appear to be some astronaut returning from the orbit. It would be very weird if he doesn’t know aliens have invaded Earth, assumed that he saw the Combine ships from outer space. The levels were well paced and makes sense. The exploration is well rewarded. Very good. My criticism are only the glowing items, I felt like it’s a little too hand holding. The plethora of ammo, batteries, and medkits too, I think. I even reached 100% armor before facing the first enemy. It also ends when it starts to be too drawn out, good work for that too!

    Lone
    It is okay

    Holy Jesus, a recreation of Ravenholm. The map started nice and detailed. The pacing was alright too. The presence of the Soldiers was unexpected and caught me by surprise. The autogun turret was absolute beast, too bad the distance between you and the Soldiers are too short to see it used effectively. However, the final battle dragged the score down. It ain’t fun dodging hopper mines while fighting a Strider. Heck, the said Strider even moves around so it can impale you with its feet. Also, was I supposed to have the Gravity Gun? There was a crate that has an SMG Grenade that I could not get it. Also, one more thing. The map failed to capture the sense of dread and horror like Ravenholm. It does not feel any scary.

    Here Again
    It is bad

    Very bad communication of showing where the player should go. The door to the apartment does not even look like a door. Also, a whole chaos started when a random Rebel rushed into a town firing wildly. Then, there were three Policemen hunting me down so I thought it was a chase sequence. In the apartment, you were given no clue which window to break. Or even where the crowbar is. After falling a random scaffolding, you fight a lot of headcrabs. Of course, you have yet to acquire your suit. You cannot switch weapons and get a bright red screen every time they bite you. Then, I was fooled that the path towards the Barnacles is the way, I thought the mapper accidentally placed unbreakable planks there so I noclipped. I fell onto a train and I…..saw the whole map. Then, I found out that there was a crate hiding an entrance to the sewer. Thing is, it was so hidden you would not see it. The end was so abrupt and out of nowhere.

    Canal Escape
    It is good

    The map has done a good job at introducing the Lambda Cache, making exploration rewarding. A solid entry featuring Route Kanal. The introduction of the Sniper could use more work, the fall can reduce your HP by a quarter. And the water does not have reflection, it’s just plain brown. The fight with the Chopper could use some more armor and medkit. Because the AR2 Soldiers hurts A LOT.

    Grigori
    It is okay

    The map starts me off unexpectedly with the Annabelle, I never expect to use this. It was fun to use it, it’s like slower firing shotgun. Even though it’s a lever-action. The map gave the Gravity Gun but sadly there’s nothing much to throw at the zombies in certain areas, so I just used my shotguns until they ran low on ammo. The location of the SMG and Shotgun are not good, in my opinion. They were in a car that I couldn’t see, so picking them up was very abrupt. The map also suffers from flat terrain and nearly empty layout.

    Power Up
    It is okay

    The map started me off at…..Did I passed out on the street or what? The map also could use some more NPCs. The meeting with the undercover cop was good, the voice acting was OK. However, the voice lines really overlaps over each other if you put on the glasses too quickly. It’s not much of a good idea to guide the player using only voice, because some people can quickly forget it. I don’t know if throwing Poison Headcrabs in was a good idea. Also, after picking up both batteries he did not tell me what to do next. I got lost and noclipped to find a way, he said that to plug the batteries into the computer, but….how? There’s invisible wall that blocks the battery from getting in that building and the Policeman won’t leave. I could not finish the map.

    Badwater 128
    It is great!

    This one, however, seems to take the idea from Lost Coast rather than Half-Life 2 chapters. The whole map was a blast! The music also syncs well with the action too! Well done! The Hunter Chopper “skin” trick caught me by surprise too. A couple of criticisms though. It is possible to miss the Crowbar at the start and this map has absolutely no checkpoint. I had a chuckle from the ending message.

    Freeman and Bob
    It is WOW!

    Even though this was a bonus entry, I have to say “This is a stroke of genius!” The introduction of Bob was good and he even remotely helps you out too! (Unlike some escort NPCs in games) The map is very action paced and I like it. Because it’s Klems’ map, exploration is always rewarded. The squad command is used well here. The RPG turret and the chase scene are icing on the cake! Klems, good job!

    Conclusion

    I’d say the nostalgia, while not that high, is not that low either. I have picked Cosmonaut the winner, Blackwater 128 as second, and Canal Escape as third. Honorable mention goes to Freeman and Bob. BossVille is finishing next week, I am eager to play it too!

  5. zeberdee

    Had fun playing these maps, except 2 of them.

    1. Here again. When you drop down through the planks to where you get the suit, it seems to lock up and then crash out, but only after you get the suit. Not been able to get past this section at all.

    2. Power up. Jjust cannot seem to get into the room where the batteries go into the computer, window won’t break at all, even tried throwing bricks at the window, but they just bounce off. Ended up clipping in to finish the map.

  6. Doug P

    Re: Freeman and Bob, is it normal after Bob hides by the corner and says he’s going to stay here, that there’s nothing Freeman can do to move him? He verbally responds to “C” instructions but will not move, is permanently “stuck”? He has the machine gun that could launch the two grenades….

    1. Yes, this is the intended behavior. You’re meant to deal with the mounted gun yourself, Bob is too much of a pussy to do it.

      1. Please use the spoiler span class for this.

    2. Please use the spoiler span class for things like this.

  7. Play It Now!

    First time reviewing a Ville so here we go! I’ve played this at the moment when it got released and re-played again to remember the taste.

    Metro
    It is okay

    I’m impressed how you managed to put all first three HL2’s chapters together into one map only! The beginning was alright and lighting was well selected to picture City 17 environments-ambiance. What killed it was its surroundings with their open and empty spaces where you could see the end of the skybox. Filling with more one brush buildings could have made the job. The Canal’s pacing was sick to drive and move on. I liked! But again, seeing the whole empty skybox area from the rooftops killed the view.

    Overall, nice fast-pacing map picturing City 17 with good old HL2 driving-combat on the water, finishing with a classic “destroy that choppa”. Btw, I think two guns should have been enough to defeat it. Perpahs, when the helicopter drops the first bomb, could have destroyed a couple of those heavy-guns. Your call next!

    Cosmonaut
    It is WOW!

    Where do I even begin? Well, the huge amount level of details of course! I did really get the feeling playing Half-Life 2 vibes on this one. Crashed into a beach, totally lost and unknown. Stepped into a small part of the City and already got detected by the CP after a good-explore puzzle. All the levels had this simple yet an excellent detailed HL2’s arch environment – especially in those “steam tunnels”.

    It was very fun and enjoyable map to play where I could replay it many times and never get bored because I would find more areas and things I didn’t see before. The final combat was amazing and well-made for all skill levels of difficult. Great job on that system. Highly recommend it!

    PS: I hate you for making that easter but this won’t stop me from exploring.

    Lone
    It is okay

    I thought it was going to be a Ravenholm style map and it was-ish. I felt the entire map was a bit small to be placed in an area where it was clearly supposed to be huge with a background in the skybox. To make you feel you’re really close to Ravenholm. Combat was OK and fun to deal with the enemies at the beginning. However, I do think the Combine soldiers were a bit out of place in this situation. Everything started to happen so quickly and all of sudden, a Strider showed up. Pretty weird, right?

    All in all, I did enjoy this map and had some fun while playing it. A bit exaggerated with the number of enemies in the end, but the ammunition and medkits did the job so I could survive.

    Here Again
    It is bad

    At first, I thought it was going to be a nice map to explore and so on. I heard a citizen said to follow her but I was still searching the place and taking a look around. Then, a raid started out of nowhere and I was left behind with no suit or weapon to defend myself.

    I gave another shot, managed to follow the NPC and get all the way to the supplies guy with my suit. I got stuck on that section for a couple of minutes, then I discovered there was a way out in the sewers through a vent. I still got a bit lost and stuck on a place where I could go but I wasn’t supposed to go further than that. The ending was a bit “what the heck did just happen?” feeling. Like another user said above, bad communication between the level and the player; and very rushed. There were missing a few playerclips and playtesting to prevent all those issues to happen.

    PS: My game crashed two times while playing this map before and after the suit.

    Canal Escape
    It is good

    A good simple linear map to play. I liked the paced on this one with a variation of enemies area by area. Each level fits with the environment of the moment, I loved the close ending battle. It could have a bit more cover and timing to handle all those NPCs at once. Overall, was fun and challenging. I’d love to hear more from this author in the future.

    I left with a feeling of wanting to see and have more. It could have been great in many ways (details, lighting, differences of ambiances), but I still admire all this work done in a couple of months.

    Grigori
    It is okay

    An odd start I must say. I was quite curious how the map would play and didn’t get disappointed at all. The number of zombies maybe was a little too much at the beginning but since more weapons and ammo were delivered on the way, I was fine with it.

    However, I do feel the outside was a bit empty compared to indoors areas. Details were OK while walking on the rooftops and wood planks. It feels like playing in Ravenholm at the start, but I was losing all the vibe on the way and reverted it back playing like another normal zombie map.

    Power Up
    It is good

    I did really like this map as overall! A different map using a ‘decent’ voice acting’ to communicate and guide the player with current puzzles on the map. However, one of the sections the voice was a bit low and I couldn’t understand where to go or what to do but got myself out quickly.

    It was short and sweet. I was impressed by the level of details on the city, feels like you’re in City 17! Nicely done there. A bit of work could be done here and there tho. The ending was a little unexpected and I was actually running away from the CPs changing me. Perhaps making the player really surrounded and with nowhere to go would give a different perspective of an ending done better (imo).

    Badwater 128
    It is great!

    I really got disappointed when I saw pink/black texture issue on the map spawn. It felt a waste of potential going downhill but I didn’t let those reflections bug embarrass my first experience which was amazing!

    Awesome lighting with an amazing fast-paced combat. Everything was distributed in order on their proper time. The looks and soundscapes were enjoyable from the start to finish. I loved how you put those details in shape. Something was missing to make this map unique and bloody amazing. A bit hard to find my way up to the choppa, after finding the valve that you could turn it. Lastly, no checkpoint/autosave? Aw!

    Freeman and Bob
    It is WOW!

    What an incredible bonus map! Really enjoyable and excited to play with an NPC! I had my fun and ‘bro’ moments with Bob. Who needs Alyxs when you have Bob watching your back and doing all long work for you where you couldn’t reach, right? Everything in this map was well executed. I really have nothing to complain about this level. Huge props to the author, Klem! I must say, I love your way of work. ‘The Shadow Over Ravensmouth’ was a blast! Hats off to you.

  8. Roy
    Play It Now!

    I was expecting one or two good maps and not much else. I think that was more of the mood I was in and nothing really to do with anything important.

    Metro by Sockman
    It is okay

    Reader Digest Condensed version of Half-Life 2 in the style of Half-Life 1. Very straight line.

    Cosmonaut By Dolmo
    It is WOW!

    Favorite. Very Half-Life 2 like.
    Best line – “When this is over, I’m going to mate.” Not exact, but close enough.
    Tough boss finish. Puzzles get harder as you go, but none too hard.

    Lone by TheVikingBoi
    It is okay

    A little hard for me to get into. Nothing bad.

    Here Again by Derek Jones AKA Taz
    It is okay

    Same as above. A little hard for me to get going. I was lost most of the time.

    Canal Escape by Joey Simas
    It is good

    Things are picking back up now. I did enjoy the combat.

    Grigori by Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon
    It is okay

    I was lost again. I did like using Annabelle.

    Power Up by Nikodem Nowak AKA WALLe PL
    It is okay

    Again I got lost. I must really suck at playing today.

    Badwater 128 by T.B. Maloney AKA Papa Rabbi
    It is great!

    Number two favorite.
    I did enjoy the combat and running around.

    Freeman and Bob by Clément Baticle AKA Klems (Bonus)
    It is great!

    Once again Freeman is the hero and everyone else hides. LOL.
    Very good use of a NPC. Most of the time they are more in the way than a help.

    Summary

    A good package of maps. I enjoyed it more than I expected and it lifted my mood.

  9. Play It Now!

    The long-awaited nostalgiaville is finally here with 9 new maps that are intended to make you feel nostalgic, but do they succeed? Let’s find out!

    Metro by Sockman
    It is great!

    I underestimated the quality of this map for it’s weak visuals, but i proved myself wrong while playing, what it lacks in detail it has in gameplay, having some nice scripted events and a great vehicle section. This map was the only one in this ville that made me feel nostalgia, having a well done depiction of the first half of Half Life 2.

    Cosmonaut By Dolmo
    It is WOW!

    The best map in my opnion, the areas where highly detailed and well designed, the interactions with the citizens were a nice touch, mainly with that starving woman and the watermelon, the gameplay was incredible and had a great pacing, having a little bit of everything, with some good puzzles that weren’t hard enough for you to get stuck or easy enough to not require thinking, the combat was fun and well balanced with a great end fight. Overall a incredible map that leaves nothing to be desired.

    Lone by TheVikingBoi
    It is good

    This map had great visual effects with a eery atmosphere, the gameplay was fun for most of the map, but the boss fight at the end was terrible, you had way to little space and health pick ups available for a fight with high damaging enemies.

    Here Again by Derek Jones AKA Taz
    It is dire!

    It took 2 playthroughs and a VNN’s livestream for me to figure out what i had to do, the map has a confusing layout and does a terrible job at telling the player where to go and what to do, the gameplay consists of killing a couple of headcrabs and walking a little bit, it wouldn’t be so bad if it was straight foward.

    Canal Escape by Joey Simas
    It is good

    It had some good puzzles and fun combat. Other than that, i don’t have much to say.

    Grigori by Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon
    It is bad

    This map had way to many enemies in small spaces, i ran most of the time and killed a max of 2-3 zombies in the entire map, making this one not that fun.

    Power Up by Nikodem Nowak AKA WALLe PL
    It is good

    The most unique map in my opnion, having no combat, this map revolves around exploration and it’s done well, the areas had some nice details and the npc animations were pretty impressing, the voice acting was well done, but quite fast which made it a little bit confusing, and the ending was unexpected and a bit funny, the only issue i had was that when i picked up the glasses before he stoped talking, both dialogue would overlap each other, other than that, a fun and interesting map.

    Badwater 128 by T.B. Maloney AKA Papa Rabbi
    It is good

    Badwater had a good start and consistent gameplay, with fun and challenging combat and a nice boss fight at the end with some choppers.

    Freeman and Bob by Clément Baticle AKA Klems (Bonus)
    It is WOW!

    This map goes along with Cosmonaut in quality, having good visuals, great level design and combat, and even a likeable ally that isn’t Alyx! While still being a helping hand in combat, Bob can even help you with puzzles and has a great personality for a 1 map character.

    Conclusion

    NostalgiaVille is great as a regular mappack but not so much as a nostalgia one, most of the maps did a good job at recreating a part of Half Life 2, but only a single one of them made me feel genuine nostalgia, but i still highly recommend playing this ville, almost all of the maps have a great level of quality put into them and you can feel it, waiting a month for it was worth it. Let’s hope this level of quality continues onward to future Villes.

  10. Maximum two maps per mapper per entry.

    That rules out Cosmonaut and Lone as they had 3 each.

    Other maps, such as Badwater 128 while very good, are no where near the theme of NostalgiaVille.. so in this humble potatos opinion “Metro” is the clear winner

    1. Thanks for the mini-heart attack!

      The announcement page, linked to in the main post, says “three maps”, so the mistake is mine for simply copying the standard rules into this post.

  11. Play It Now!

    Well, here we are. Been a long time lurker, and with a new profile, now I feel it’s finally time to post a review.

    NostalgiaVille has been waited on for quite a time, and the theme is generally interesting, especially considering the prevalence of Outland-themed levels. Classic City 17 and it’s urban environments are some of my favorites, so let’s see what this pack has to offer.

    Metro
    It is okay

    My first views of this map are of a train and some weirdly lit chairs. Suffice it to say, I did not have high hopes for this one upon seeing this. However, it did turn out a bit better.

    Gameplay itself is okay, with the Airboat section being my favorite. Aesthetics and detail are certainly lacking though, with blocky buildings and square-ish natural terrain. In some places it works, and in others, less so. Not the best, but overall a fairly solid entry.

    Cosmonaut
    It is WOW!

    The longest entry in the contest, and one that definitely sticks to the intended goal, invoking the first few levels up to the start of Water Hazard. Quality is high all the way through, and secrets and exploration are abound. A great entry, with only a slight few problems, one of which being a big one.

    Firstly, the minor issue is with the final map, where you waves of enemies come far too slowly, leading you to wait. (Also, magnum ammo with no magnum, along with little incentive to use weapons other than the turrets? Why?)

    And the big one, this kinda breaks the entry rules. As the third rule states: “Maximum two maps per mapper, per entry.” This entry has three. So yeah, despite the excellent quality, I don’t think this can win.

    Lone
    It is good

    Another longer entry, and like with Cosmonaut, it possesses three maps. which I believe automatically disqualifies it. I’ll review regardless.

    It’s a Ravenholm-styled map, and it certainly feels like one, although the lack of traps concerns me, at least we have plenty of ammo for the Gravity Gun, and a contraption or two to give it a bit of the feel. More interesting is the second half of the entry, featuring a heavy dose of Combine and their distinctive architecture. I’ve never really seen the two used together, and it’s a fresh, although less nostalgic take on Ravenholm.

    The use of an Autogun turret is interesting, although it sometimes lacks the power or particles i’d expect, plus it’s surprisingly inaccurate.

    I honestly feel the strider fight at the end was a touch tacked on, and the ending afterwards makes no sense to me, but regardless, it’s a solid entry.

    Here Again
    It is bad

    My first experience with this map was not good. At all.

    Not heading inside the building when the Rebels come in can cause you to become stuck, the section afterwards with the headcrabs and the drop somehow caused my game to crash.

    Even if I disregarded that, there’s still a definite lack of guidance on where to go, alongside ways to break the map and a sudden ending leads this map to not be good whatsoever.

    It’s not unplayable, but I definitely recommend steering clear of it.

    Canal Escape
    It is good

    A Route Kanal inspired level, it’s somewhat lacking on the visual/lighting side of things, but was overall enjoyable.

    Not too much to say on this one, other than I think the beginning could’ve used a little work in the direction you’ve gotta go, and thank you author for not having a stupidly long helicopter fight, though I think there could’ve been a little more on the supplies/cover front.

    Grigori
    It is bad

    Our second Ravenholm-esque entry, and assuredly the weaker of the two. While the use of Annabelle is neat, the weapon itself is terrible, especially with the amount of zombies thrown your way.

    Next is the lack of Ravenholm stuff in general. It feels more like a generic zombie map with random lights. No traps, no gravity gun usage, and a definite lack of signposting leads to a not really nostalgic or pleasant experience in general, especially with the abrupt ending.

    Power Up
    It is okay

    It’s… certainly unique, to say the least. Voice acting can often be bad, but it was okay here. Some voice overlap in the beginning, but okay, though they can be quiet at points. No real combat, not much in terms of puzzling, and an ending that kinda goes against what you’d expect to happen.

    Not really a fan, honestly, but it’s better than some others in here.

    Badwater 128
    It is great!

    Badwater’s an interesting one, taking place in a section akin to one of the many stops you had to do within Water Hazard (Visuals remind me of the barn, especially).

    Visuals were excellent, gameplay was pretty good (although I did miss that one button to deactivate the forcefield for a bit), and the Helicopter gunships threw me off for a bit, and were an interesting touch.

    Also, Amnestics? Is Freeman working for the SCP Foundation now? SCP in a Half-Life setting would certainly be interesting, though the call to “Nostalgia” seemed a little forced. All in all, an excellent, albeit fairly short map.

    BONUS: Freeman & Bob
    It is WOW!

    If Klems wasn’t judging, and this wasn’t a bonus entry, I think this would probably be the winner, especially considering the possible disqualifying of Cosmonaut.

    It’s an excellent entry, and uses the heavily underused Squad mechanics to great effect, creating a useful ally that isn’t named Alyx. The rocket turret was fun to use, and Bob can seemingly fire that thing like a machine gun, which was enjoyable to watch.

    Excellent entry, even if it doesn’t count for the contest itself.

    HEADER:

    Winner

    Considering i’m really unsure of Cosmonaut/Lone for the issues I spoke of, i’m likely going to go with Badwater.

    Good visuals, nice choice of section to use (Water Hazard’s one of my favorite levels), decent gameplay, and a nice twist with the final fight. Generally, this was a pretty decent Ville. Not the best, but some definite standouts here.

  12. Really disappointing Ville. Even though the authors had way more time than for normal villes, the entries can’t compete with most normal villes at all. I’m not saying that all entries are bad, but none really stood out except the bonus entry maybe (although also not nearly at the usual quality of this author). And the thing is, since this is nostalgiaVille where people “remake” sections from the original game (sometimes blatantly copy pasted) you are playing worse versions of things you already experienced. And the irony in all that is that that is the complete OPPOSITE of what nostalgia is. Nostalgia is when you have fond memories of something, but usually that thing is way better in your memory than it actually is. There are games that know that and make use of that. Shovel Knight for example looks and feels like a classic platformer, but in reality it looks way better, performs much smoother and controls much more precise (and the music has more depth and detail).

    A shame that this is the Ville where 3kliksphillip is one of the judges and not for some of the really good Villes. I hope it doesn’t deter him from the other stuff.

    1. I have to agree with you. I personally doesn’t like Metro that much, unlike VNN, it doesn’t click my switches that much.

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