After Xen is released, somebody should show what this Xen could’ve looked like on Goldsrc

[MayBunny37]

After Black Mesa Xen is released and everything is known, somebody should remake Xen on Goldsrc. I’m not talking Half Life’s Xen, I’m talking something like what if Valve had the time to fully make Xen how they wanted. It doesn’t even have to connect with the original Half Life. I’m sure many Half Life fans would play Black Mesa’s version of Xen on Goldsrc. What would you say.

[KPH]

This is exactly what I´ve been wondering about. Re-creating Xen for Half-Life using HLs own assets as far as possible but Black Mesas layout and design, sure would be fascinating to see it. Should be pretty close to what Valve aimed at.

[Just Chill]

I actually would replay that just for the nostalgia. ^^

[Tuxflop]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

It's next to impossible with the current engine's limitations. All rock formations are brushes and the limits in GoldSrc get hit very fast. You'd need to edit the engine heavily and it's just not worth the effort.

It wouldn’t exactly be an exact port as much as it would be a demake. Of course GoldSrc is an older engine, so it won’t nearly have as much detail and it’ll look much simpler.

[1v4n94]

I doubt it's gonna be plausible. Source is having issues, imagine that but 10 times the limitations with GoldSource

[KPH]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

It's next to impossible with the current engine's limitations. All rock formations are brushes and the limits in GoldSrc get hit very fast. You'd need to edit the engine heavily and it's just not worth the effort.

I mean... I don´t think OP meant porting this thing to Goldsrc XD Like mentioned previously, imagining Black Mesas Xen using HLs assets. Im sure it´s very possible without engine modifications, the chapters would just have to be parted into million maps.

[phillippi2]

Have you seen "Half-Life 2: Classic"? It's a remake of Half-Life 2 on GoldSrc. I imagine Xen would be similiar to how this was done; scaled back to the limits of GoldSrc. Here's a video of HL2 Classic, for reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAkpWQbLl2g

[MayBunny37]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

I'm not sure why people would even want a "de-make" beside nostalgia or "I can't run Black Mesa Xen on my system". Those are hollow reasons to do anything of the kind. I find this Half-Life 2 de-make ridiculous and a waste of time. I don't understand how it could've been nominated on ModDB for anything. That's harsh but that's what I think. I follow the same logic with any kind of de-make of Xen.

If Half-Life fans start liking this more than fresh new content, then the quality standards really went down and I'm just wasting my time developing my Half-Life mod.

It’s just an idea, what if someone made Xen similar to Black Mesa’s Xen, but in Goldsrc a mod, show what Valve could’ve done, but didn’t due to technical and time constraints. And I was talking when Xen was done.

[KPH]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

I'm not sure why people would even want a "de-make" beside nostalgia or "I can't run Black Mesa Xen on my system". Those are hollow reasons to do anything of the kind. I find this Half-Life 2 de-make ridiculous and a waste of time. I don't understand how it could've been nominated on ModDB for anything. That's harsh but that's what I think. I follow the same logic with any kind of de-make of Xen.

If Half-Life fans start liking this more than fresh new content, then the quality standards really went down and I'm just wasting my time developing my Half-Life mod.

Hollow reasons? They don´t match your criteria? You require better reasons? Something like this requires sanctioning from you? Why do you even care?

[KPH]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

Originally posted by Darth ScoutBonnie:

It’s just an idea, what if someone made Xen similar to Black Mesa’s Xen, but in Goldsrc a mod, show what Valve could’ve done, but didn’t due to technical and time constraints. And I was talking when Xen was done.

I could do it myself if I wanted to, but it's just a tremendous waste of time. Half-Life 2: Classic gets praised while I get criticized for making the flashlight an item you have to find in the world. Like I said, the quality standards were flipped upside down and khyypio is the proof of it.

What exactly are you even talking about? And why does your posts seem oddly bitter?

[FireFly]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

I'm not sure why people would even want a "de-make" beside nostalgia or "I can't run Black Mesa Xen on my system".

1.) To figure out how far the Half-Life engine can be pushed and to work out new and imaginative techniques for achieving "modern" effects.
2.) To see how much the mood and aesthetic of Half-Life 2 stems from its technical fidelity, as opposed to its artistic merits.
3.) To give an idea of what Valve could have achieved had they not invested in new engine technology.
4.) To determine the limits of "Half-Life" style gameplay.

These reasons make more sense if you think of the mod as an artistic and technical experiment rather than as an entertainment product. Just as someone who recreates a city in lego isn't attempting to compete with a real architect.

[FireFly]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

Just like any de-make, I'm just there asking myself "Ok, sure. But why? Might as well play the better version." I get that it's done for fun, but it's just... uninteresting for me; a waste of time. That's why I don't get how people can be amazed by Half-Life 2: Classic. I might just be the minority on this and just talking from a developer standpoint. I'll leave now.

Well it's like people who enjoy visiting art galleries. To me going somewhere and looking at a bunch of 24 inch canvasses with scenes depicted on them is of no value. But that doesn't mean that this of no value generally, or is a waste of time.

I mean, there are plenty of people who consider video games a waste of time, or mods for old games a waste of time.

[MayBunny37]

Originally posted by Peter Brev:

Originally posted by Darth ScoutBonnie:

It’s just an idea, what if someone made Xen similar to Black Mesa’s Xen, but in Goldsrc a mod, show what Valve could’ve done, but didn’t due to technical and time constraints. And I was talking when Xen was done.

I could do it myself if I wanted to, but it's just a tremendous waste of time. Half-Life 2: Classic gets praised while I get criticized for making the flashlight an item you have to find in the world. Like I said, the quality standards were flipped upside down and khyypio is the proof of it.

Sure, you don’t even have to credit me, I’m just trying to see who would take the idea and give some push behind it. But I would wait until Xen is fully released before making it. Also they are probably just trolls that don’t know what they are doing.