Poll Question 229 – Have you been playing the 100SDoN maps?

18th June 2011

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

Well, here we are after nearly 3 weeks of 100SDoN and I thought I would use this week’s poll question to find out how many PP readers are playing the maps and mods.

Besides the really crappy maps and the pressure of having to add one map or mod every day I am really enjoying the whole thing. In fact, so much so I think I’ll try and run something similar 3 times a year – of course, not 100 days though.

Anyway, the maps themselves have obviously a wide range of quality but considering how old some of them are I have to admit to being quite impressed. I’ve even been thinking of having a Half-Life 1 mapping competition!

I’d love to hear you thoughts on the event so far, even if you haven’t been adding reviews.

The Poll


29 Comments

  1. I’ve been playing most of them, except the very worst, and I will say I am enjoying myself. I appreciate you doing this. I’ve been meaning to take the time and leave a comment on the ones I’ve played, just haven’t gotten around to it.

    1. I’ve been meaning to take the time and leave a comment on the ones I’ve played, just haven’t gotten around to it.

      Sometimes making the comment takes longer than playing the actual map – which is crazy but there you go.

  2. Mel

    Overall I’m enjoying the experience, although puzzled at times with some of your selections. I guess so far I have gone through all the possible rating alternatives, having played nearly all the games before, I’m finding to my surprise that many are coming across fresh and new. Not sure whether this is a case of memory lost or the fact that having played so many HL1 things seem to merge, such that you can’t separate each mod, for sure I have not yet experienced that feeling of; I have done this before and know what is coming next.

    To pick up on the rating issue, I seem to have gone the whole cycle how, confirming some of my originally ratings, up-rating some and down talking at least one. The games that I did up-rate have been for me the best of the bunch; they came across like new releases, and whilst they weren’t classics and being boxy and basic in some case, they still rated great on the fun and action factors.

  3. Derbler

    Waiting for the best of the best.
    Also, totally do a HL1 mapping competition, because I suck at using Hammer in Source, but am a Master of the GoldSource engine and can blow away the competition!

    1. Waiting for the best of the best.

      You might be waiting a while.

  4. I’m only playing the better ones, but I am enjoying the whole thing.

  5. 2muchvideogames

    I am all the way for a HL1 mapping competition. We really need to spice up mapping activity these days.

    As for playing the maps, I prolly play them only if I hadn’t played it in the past or if I can’t remember playing them. I also want to say that if phillip is interested I can provide links to mods that are yet to be added to PP. Try my link if you’re interested.

    I really like the huge variety in the custom maps and mods for HL1. All kinds of ideas get expressed that you would never see in commercial games. And seeing all these strange and (possibly) exciting new things spurs me to go out and play every single mod available out there. So with that said, LONG LIVE HALF LIFE

    1. Yes, I have already followed it and plan to add them when I get time.

  6. I’ve only played a few of the maps/mods but I intend to play all of them over the course of the event. I can’t comment on the overall quality of the mods posted so far because I don’t think I’ve played enough to get a proper consensus. However, I have enjoyed what I have played.

    Most of the maps/mods I have played so far have been very short so playing the maps is easy. My only problem at the moment is trying to find time to write reviews afterwards but my workload should ease pretty soon so I will hopefully be able to find some more time.

    I really look forward to playing some of the very high quality mods that I hope are yet to come.

  7. Frohman11

    I dont have halflife , only halflife : source

    1. You must keep looking for the sale days. I have seen it sold for 98 cents.

  8. Unq

    Playing them all, good or bad, just like my reviewing days. I’m always one for Half-Life nostalgia.

    I’d be game for some kind of Goldsource competition/challenge/project too.

    1. That’s the spirit!

      If I do run a Goldsource mapping challenge/competition, I hope you will enter.

  9. so far, nothing has peaked my interest. but, return to Xen II did just that. I am well into it and love it. I will post a comment when finished. I figure the maps will turn to mods as time goes on.

    1. I figure the maps will turn to mods as time goes on.

      That’s the plan but I doubt there will be any really big mods added – due to the time constraints.

  10. Sadly, I’m not interested at all.

    Project sounded very promising but after seeing no effort being put into sharing “good” maps or mods, I haven’t wanted to play any of them. I don’t see the point of sharing meaningless, incomplete, and boring maps.

    Nostalgia may sound like a good reason, but for me it’s not. I already see enough bad maps everyday, so I’m not really interested in seeing them released again.

    I’m sure some will enjoy these maps, though. So it’s not that bad.

    1. no effort being put into sharing “good” maps or mods

      I find that highly offensive. If PP.com were my full-time job I would feel you have a valid point, and whilst I agree that a lot of the maps have been pretty bad, running the site is a part-time hobby for me.

      I have limited time available and it’s not easy to sit down and play for a few hours everyday and then take another hour to make the post. Posting the Half-Life one maps actually takes longer than Source maps due to the extra time required for processing the .BMP images.

      As time goes on I am sure I will find time to post some of the larger mods but it was never meant to be “the best mods” and sometimes nostalgia is also about remembering the not so good times too.

      1. Although I understand your reasoning, I still don’t understand the meaning of sharing a map like Rogat. I’m not a full time level designer but seeing these kinda maps being released here makes me feel offended too. No effort is required to create these, and they are maps that anyone with the map editor can make. When you open a map like this, only thing you should do is closing the game and deleting the map. I don’t think these maps are qualified to get reviewed, so only reason to share can be ridiculing them. I don’t see any other reason.

        I respect all your ideas and share most of them, but your “no exceptions” approach is something I stand against. Still, like you said, it’s your hobby and you’re free to do what you want. We’re here knowing that. I’m voicing this opinion, because I think it hurts your site even if you don’t know it.

        1. I still don’t understand the meaning of sharing a map like Rogat.

          I see that as a completely separate issue and one that has been discussed many times. What I was offended at was the asumption that is was not making any effort to share the good maps. How do you know that I hadn’t been playing some of the bigger mods a little each day for later in the event?

        2. Mel

          How do you know that I hadn’t been playing some of the bigger mods a little each day for later in the event?

          Nice to hear.

      2. Mel

        Good or bad it’s meant to be fun. Whilst I share your view that a few of the releases are pointless, your comments do somewhat belittle the whole concept. You seem to have lost track of the fact that many of these release have been enjoyed by others, many more players have and keep downloading without leaving comments, so they would seem to be plenty of interest.

        I too may not play or bother to leave comments on the rubbish games, but this is not going to stop me playing, having fun and enjoying the better releases.

        I do share Phillips comments about having to commit time and effort to the project, it’s easy for me I am retired, but if I was still working it would be difficult to play and then review a mod every weekday.

        I have questioned some of Phillips choices, even though he deleted my reference, I still think that some of his selections have no right to be out there in the first place. However, the 100 summer of mods has brought to light at least one enjoyable mod, that was perversely doomed to obscurity by me, others have been played and enjoyed by many that would not otherwise bothered to take the time.

        Take the rough with the smooth and enjoy what you can.

    2. Yeah, I’m sorry that it sounded like I was talking about the whole project. I’m sure lots of effort going into providing these maps. All I wanted to say was I wish some of them was going into making some judgement before releasing them. But I won’t talk about this anymore since it seems pointless. I’ll just stay away from bad maps, thanks to reviews made by other members.

  11. Duke

    I’ve played some, skipped some.

  12. Played a few of them, skipped the most awful ones though.
    Appreciate you for doing this, Phillip. Half-Life is still one of the few games nowadays that I love playing. I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of it! O_O

  13. A I

    Phillip, As an old gamer (65 now) I would like to thank you so much for the effort you have put into this site!! I have a big collection of HL maps/mods and others on my storage drives and plan to keep on collecting and adding! I’ve played “every one” good or bad and believe that they ALL deserve a fair shot!! Maybe others won’t waste their but I have plenty of time, to build my computer and play the maps/mods!! BTW, I’m about 1/2 thru the game
    “Duke Nukem Forever” Love it so far!! 😉

  14. Kyouryuu

    I voted “no” because, to be honest, I don’t care much for Half-Life 1.

    (crowd gasps, blasphemy!)

    No, really, I don’t. I wish I did! You could make a lot of map for the time it takes to make one room in Half-Life 2! But I’ve tried so many times to get through it, but I invariably get bored and stop playing around the time I get to Xen. If I had to put my finger on it, I think it’s the way that you die faster in HL1, especially compared to HL2. Coupled with the constant environmental hazards and platforming, the game can be pretty heavy-handed about dishing out death.

    To be fair, that was the style of many games at the time. But there are things in HL1 that you “just don’t do” anymore, and while I’m sure it’s those same things that appeal to some gamers, they don’t appeal to me.

  15. Mel

    Blasphemy,

    Just joking, if you don’t like the game then your views are very understandable, it’s always been a Source of fun for me.

  16. Hec

    Really most of them, but indeed ALL of them, except for Gman Island 1 &2 that i’ve previously played so I don’t replay mods, I love this nostalgia days, and im pretty excited that Phillip thinks to run a HL1 mapping competition that really rules, and I hope it will happen, I know there are some terrible maps but I don’t care im a pure 1000000 percent HL fan so I play them!! and I like that PP recover the impulse for old forsaken HL1 maps, and I think this 100 days of nostalgia are becoming now a classic of this PP website, so yeah I am really loving having new fresh hl1 maps here on PP, and those who voted no I think they just pass by the site and don’t really are pure blood fans of hl, so I don’t care about those numbers, the really big deal here is that we have maps to play, stop being such grumpy human beings and enjoy a little for god sake!!!!!!!!

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