Frequently Asked Questions (Updated)

[[BMS] Adam-Bomb]

Main

Does Crowbar Collective have any plans to remake Opposing Force or Blue Shift?

No. There are other, unaffiliated mod teams working on those. We recommend you check them out!

Black Mesa: BlueShift

Operation: Black Mesa (Half-Life: Opposing Force)

Guard Duty (Half-Life: Blue Shift)

Are there any plans to add co-op mode into the game?

We have no plans for official co-op. We did a small patch to support community servers that allow for co-op!

Are there any plans to optimize or update the game?

We did a patch to optimize the game in spring 2024. We’ll continue to patch the game where possible, but we are trying to maintain save game files and stability for players.

Are there any plans for the Black Mesa: Hazard Course in the making?

Not at this time. The game's mechanics are taught within the game and we think they all work pretty well. While the Hazard Course is a memorable part of the original; it would be redundant if we added it to Black Mesa.

Black Mesa: Hazard Course Mod

Can we hope to see the uncut version of “On a Rail” in the future?

There will not be official integration for OAR Uncut, but you can download the mod from the workshop here.

Are there hopes of bringing Black Mesa to VR?

No. Bringing Black Mesa to VR would be a herculean effort. We would need to redo a vast majority of the assets, so they don’t look horrible up close. Various aspects of our game would need to change as well, such as the HUD, to prevent motion sickness. We had a dedicated VR programmer on it some time ago, and they said it was not a good idea to implement.

Do you have any plans to release Black Mesa to consoles?

No Mesa on consoles. We would need proper licenses, we would have to completely port the game to a graphics engine that works with modern consoles, completely rebuild assets to work within console specs, and probably re-engineer levels to work on current generation hardware.

Can I use Black Mesa assets in my mod?

Black Mesa assets can be used in any non-retail project. If you or someone else is making money off of the mod/project, our assets cannot be used.

Additional

Will you ever make Black Mesa an officially mountable game in Garry’s Mod?

Players who own Black Mesa and Garry’s Mod are able to mount the game locally. There have been no discussions about officially supporting Black Mesa in Garry’s Mod and we probably would not pursue it because of:

- Model orientation errors
- Broken 4-way blends
- Various lighting issues
- No Post Processing support

Basically, it would take a lot of effort to get Black Mesa working correctly within Garry’s Mod. We know a lot of people would love full support for our game, but it’s not in our hands and it is not a simple process.

How to mount Black Mesa locally

Will there be a macOS version of Black Mesa?

Sadly, no. Linux has been a challenge to support, and MacOS would be even more difficult, especially considering MacOS dropped OpenGL.

How do you switch to using the old menus?

In Black Mesa’s properties (right-click BM in your Steam Library), under “Set Launch Options…”, you can enter “-oldgameui” to boot Black Mesa with the legacy Source engine menu. This menu will be unsupported going forward and may have missing features or bugs.

Would you guys ever consider porting to Source 2?

It’ll take another 15 years... Jokes aside, no plans. Value would have to grant us an engine license for Source 2, and it would be a ton of work.

How often do you converse with the team over at Valve?

We have a licensing contact at Valve. We only message them if we need stuff for Steam or licensing.

Does the team at Crowbar Collective work remotely or in an office setting?

Remotely. Black Mesa was made by a volunteer/part-time team. Get the latest information on the company here:
https://www.crowbarcollective.com

What was the creative process for the reimagining of the game soundtrack?

From composer Joel Nielsen: "I am a massive fan of the HL1 OST. That said, I did not want to remake/redo what had been done. There was no way I could live up to the original if I chose to remake it. Music and sound do not age the same way graphics do. So with that in mind, I decided to go in a unique direction. I did take cues from the original, (the synth/industrial vibes) but decided to take a more musical/emotional/dramatic approach than Kelly Bailey.

In the early days (2005), I played the original game while noodling with ideas. I was very new to composing when I joined the team, having no prior professional experience. This shows a bit, with how the themes weren't as nailed down, and may even seem out of place at times. Because of this, Black Mesa Earthbound kind of has its own musical identity that is a bit more indie sounding. Many love it; others have expressed that it was too far from the original. I did attempt to change a few of these out, but there was a lot of push back from the community. So I ended up leaving most of them in. Either way, (and over a decade later), I think most of these songs have held up decently.

The Xen Soundtrack was a different beast. I knew we were going somewhere entirely different out of the gate. This opened the game musically for me to experiment, which I began around 2016.

The opening track when you arrive on Xen was the first piece I wrote. I originally had the synth/bassline kicking around for a few months, and it seemed to fit with the concept art, but was missing something. My wife and I were hanging out in the studio one night, and we had had a few glasses of wine, so I coerced her to go into the booth and sing 'something' over what was there. What you hear in the game is mostly that first take. (Had to tweak a couple of things later on) But that was the birth of the Xen OST.

From there, I used many existing tie-ins from the earthbound portion, but fleshed out the themes and linked all the similar areas together with a stronger foundation. You will hear it from the swap of chord progressions to melodies and should notice that most of Xen is built on a flipside of the primary Earthbound themes. I then also chose an entirely new set of instruments, each of which represents something unique to the Xen world. As the game neared completion, any tweaks necessary were made and is the reason some of the songs have a V2. The finished Xen soundtrack plays out as a musical crescendo, with the shared melodies building from song to song. A metaphor to the game itself, and hopefully details the love and care that went into crafting it."

Will you guys ever release the soundtrack to Black Mesa on Steam?

We’ve not considered it much. The soundtrack is available in multiple locations and is included within the game file.
BMS Soundtracks[www.joelnielsen.com]
Xen Soundtracks[www.joelnielsen.com]

Related Links

Black Mesa Troubleshooting Guide

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[BionicFreak]

Originally posted by BMS Adam-Bomb:

Are there hopes of bringing Black Mesa to VR?

No. Bringing Black Mesa to VR would be a herculean effort. We would need to redo a vast majority of the assets, so they don’t look horrible up close. Various aspects of our game would need to change as well, such as the HUD, to prevent motion sickness. We had a dedicated VR programmer on it some time ago, and they said it was not a good idea to implement.

Ah, man. That's too bad

[Gab.PAPU777]

PA CUANDO BLACK MESA ESPAÑOL LATINO O AL MENOS ESPAÑOL ESPAÑA AUDIO

[rayscomps]

Languages or how we say ,Der Elephant in de room.

Is that not a FAQ ?

I still see people asking about languages so i'm assuminmg there's a lot that haven't been done.

[morgfr]

Black mesa would be a nightmare for VR.

[ludolg]

Do I need the original "Half Life" game in order to play Black Mesa? Additionally: Do I need original "Half Life - Blue Shift" in order to play "Black Mesa - Blue Shift"

[BossMan]

Originally posted by BMS Adam-Bomb:

Are there hopes of bringing Black Mesa to VR?

No. Bringing Black Mesa to VR would be a herculean effort. We would need to redo a vast majority of the assets, so they don’t look horrible up close. Various aspects of our game would need to change as well, such as the HUD, to prevent motion sickness. We had a dedicated VR programmer on it some time ago, and they said it was not a good idea to implement.

Ahh man c'mon. Hl2 also looks so so in VR. Still one of the best vr games. Just let and help modders do work for you.

[John "pork" Palinody]

black mesa SDK when??

[delzaron]

Hi

Is crowbar studio recruiting ? I could affect some of my free hours to alpha or beta test (I heard the studio is working on blue shift and opposing forces).

I precise I have a training in professional testing.

Best regards

[San Sany4]

Why there's no option to switch language at all? Not in the game UI, not in Steam library. The console parameters don't work. I want to experience the game in original English language, as it should be in the game set in the US, not to be forced a translation.

[GrizzGolf]

Is it hard to install Blue Shift?

[Clayman]

Hi, i can't unlock the laser immunization achievement, i tried beginning a new chapter and even get through the interloper level without even getting hit once with laser damage so why i can't unlock it?

[[TP]Schwarz]

Originally posted by BMS Adam-Bomb:

Main

Are there hopes of bringing Black Mesa to VR?

No. Bringing Black Mesa to VR would be a herculean effort. We would need to redo a vast majority of the assets, so they don’t look horrible up close. Various aspects of our game would need to change as well, such as the HUD, to prevent motion sickness. We had a dedicated VR programmer on it some time ago, and they said it was not a good idea to implement.

About a year ago someone asked the HLVR Devs(the ones who made the excelent HL2 VR Port) about this on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/hlvr/comments/1chsa0u/black_mesa_in_vr/l29gu6t/

They said that it would require full access to the source code for them to do it and thus is consider it unlikely. Would working together with these guys be an option for you?


Also the Asset quality really isn't an issue, there is a VR mod for the original HL for crying out loud 😅

[Engamer01]

Originally posted by Gwynbleidd:

Hi, i can't unlock the laser immunization achievement, i tried beginning a new chapter and even get through the interloper level without even getting hit once with laser damage so why i can't unlock it?

Certain achievements are touchy. You might have to keep retrying until the achievement pops. If you have a save from right before the first lasers to dodge for Laser Immunization, just reload the save and try the achievement challenge again.

Also if you have any mods or developer console configs active, you may need to consider removing those (and verify Black Mesa game files with the game closed). Then try to see if you can get the achievement to pop.

For any dev console configurations, you should reset them back and return to Black Mesa's main menu to reload your save. Achievements are locked out for any SV configurations active.

[Encrypted Penguin]

Are there any plans to make this game DRM-free?

I paid for the game because it's an amazing game and deserves to be supported (seriously, well done!), but it requiring the Steam launcher to play the game is a massive shame, especially for those of us who like to properly own our games.

Cheers!