Half Life 2 Beta Mods

[Garbodor #BoycottTF2]

Why is it that almost every beta mod is never actually a beta recreation, but more of a retail with beta elements? Take raising the bar redux, a really good mod, but is just the same story so far but with a gritty coat of paint. Where are the conscripts? Where is the train ride with Samuel? I get that the developers of these mods are allowed creative liberties, and some even specify that they have taken creative liberties. All this doesn't change the fact that they're attempting to recreate the beta, something that has an already established, albeit loose, story to it. The beta isn't just some aesthetic they cut out. It isn't just some cut weapons or enemies. The beta is something else entirely, something that captures the intent and story Valve was trying to tell with the combine. A world being used in it's entirety for the sole benefit of a bio-mechanical regime, and it's native population only being assimilated into it or outright removed. The beta captures this narrative better than retail does, despite not even being a well defined or finished product.
inb4 someone tells me to make my own mod then. I have no coding knowledge, nor a PC good enough to develop a mod without making me want to tear my hair out.

[Lychy]

Because they are taking only the good parts from the beta

[Garbodor #BoycottTF2]

Originally posted by Lychy:

Because they are taking only the good parts from the beta

Only good parts? Something that is entirely subjective and isn't quantifiable. Even more so when considering that raising the bar redux kept the airboat section from retail, except now there's a bunch more stuff you can catch the boat on. I just find it really disingenuous to make a beta recreation mod, and not recreate the beta, just repaint the retail game instead.

[Lychy]

Something that is entirely subjective

Mods are made by people, who are always subjective

[PINGVINATOR TERMOREGULATOR]

There were so many variations of the beta story from 1999 to 2002. Now imagine you have to choose one variation and go with that with your mod. Everything described in the RTB, all pre-release screenshots you would have to recreate and imagine how long would that take. But maybe one day someone will do it

[Garbodor #BoycottTF2]

Originally posted by Zorlagger:

There were so many variations of the beta story from 1999 to 2002. Now imagine you have to choose one variation and go with that with your mod. Everything described in the RTB, all pre-release screenshots you would have to recreate and imagine how long would that take. But maybe one day someone will do it

That part I understand perfectly. There's many versions of it, my complaint is the majority of the mods with some prospect of being finished are still using the retail storyline as a base instead of fully embracing the beta aspects. Again, raising the bar redux being the biggest example right now. It's still the retail story it's following, even down to the rebels replacing the conscripts.

[PINGVINATOR TERMOREGULATOR]

Originally posted by Garbodor:

Originally posted by Zorlagger:

There were so many variations of the beta story from 1999 to 2002. Now imagine you have to choose one variation and go with that with your mod. Everything described in the RTB, all pre-release screenshots you would have to recreate and imagine how long would that take. But maybe one day someone will do it

That part I understand perfectly. There's many versions of it, my complaint is the majority of the mods with some prospect of being finished are still using the retail storyline as a base instead of fully embracing the beta aspects. Again, raising the bar redux being the biggest example right now. It's still the retail story it's following, even down to the rebels replacing the conscripts.

Original Beta Story will never be 100% completed because some elements and the ending itself isn't 100% known. Unless Valve steps up and decides to reveal the plot holes we will never fully understand it. Some things that are still not known:

- Some recreated maps/locations didn't exist in the leak and some are not even featured in concept arts so modders used their imagination
- Beta Enemies that have no AI leftover in any shape or form would be impossible to recreate even if in RTB was said how they behaved and someone recreates it, there is no 100% proof that's how Valve originally designed/coded it
- What happened in between of bidding farewell to Samuels and meeting Barney near the Manhack Arcade? How would Gordon know to get there? You can assume he met Barney before but again that's assumption
- How would you obtain some weapons that logically none of the factions were meant to use/have no proof they ever used like the smg2
- What happened to Eli Maxwell after you visited him, or Odell after Borealis, or Captain Vance at the end? Or Barney as a matter of fact, there is no mention of him past the first few chapters of the game
- How would the showdown between Gordon and Consul play out? In one version of the story, Consul was still human when Gordon encountered him at the end of the game and in other he was a no limb mutant in some kind of a machine
- Many more...

[Garbodor #BoycottTF2]

Originally posted by Zorlagger:

Originally posted by Garbodor:

That part I understand perfectly. There's many versions of it, my complaint is the majority of the mods with some prospect of being finished are still using the retail storyline as a base instead of fully embracing the beta aspects. Again, raising the bar redux being the biggest example right now. It's still the retail story it's following, even down to the rebels replacing the conscripts.

Original Beta Story will never be 100% completed because some elements and the ending itself isn't 100% known. Unless Valve steps up and decides to reveal the plot holes we will never fully understand it. Some things that are still not known:

- Some recreated maps/locations didn't exist in the leak and some are not even featured in concept arts so modders used their imagination
- Beta Enemies that have no AI leftover in any shape or form would be impossible to recreate even if in RTB was said how they behaved and someone recreates it, there is no 100% proof that's how Valve originally designed/coded it
- What happened in between of bidding farewell to Samuels and meeting Barney near the Manhack Arcade? How would Gordon know to get there? You can assume he met Barney before but again that's assumption
- How would you obtain some weapons that logically none of the factions were meant to use/have no proof they ever used like the smg2
- What happened to Eli Maxwell after you visited him, or Odell after Borealis, or Captain Vance at the end? Or Barney as a matter of fact, there is no mention of him past the first few chapters of the game
- How would the showdown between Gordon and Consul play out? In one version of the story, Consul was still human when Gordon encountered him at the end of the game and in other he was a no limb mutant in some kind of a machine
- Many more...

That's where creative liberties should be taken, to fill in the holes that are there, not just patch the holes with the retail version of the game.