Actually yea, I had a chance to dl and play it. I gotta say, it was quite nicely done!
The player wasn't left hanging anywhere (which is a big concern for me on some larger single-player projects) and the flow seemed very well paced. Each space seemed to have a considerable amount of attention paid to it, and they seemed also to be diverse but still retain coherency. This level seemed obviously planned-out, so props to you on that!
It took advantage of the core mechanics from HL2 which is fine. Most people who try to mimic them don't do a very good job, but here, they seem very natural and fit in. There were some parts that took me by surprise, and were very exciting. The combine areas seemed to feel very real and up to valve quality. This was a nice short adventure that for gamers on the go, would take you about 10 minutes or less on your first play-through. I imagine there was also a considerable amount of playtesting involved eh? It seems you probably worked out most of the kinks and issues I would ever complain about. But if you'd like a discernable critique, I can find something somewhere....
-On some of the Combine lights (the larger scale ones) the sprites used on them are wrong. They are obviously floating a considerable far distance away from the 'bulb' that it doesn't look quite right. I think the very beginning needs to be fixed just a little. It starts off easy enough with a fade-in, but I wish there was something more to him getting there. Like some kind of camera fly-in or something to get across how he got there in the first place. Either way, the fade in is nice.
It was amazing how fast the combine respond to that camera taking your picture. Perhaps add some more combine grumble and some gadget fidgeting behind the door before the explosive starts beeping. You don't want to give the impression that they're waiting for you, you were supposed to surprise them right?
-In fact, why is there a camera there? What is so important about that room?
-The final room before you reach your squad could use some more love. It works for pure gameplay, but I don't understand what it's for. What is that space all about actually? The big deck hanging over with rails leading nowhere, what's that about?
All-in-all though I think most of those critiques could go ignored and you'd still have a nice well-designed well-playing short sp level. Thanks for uploading it! I enjoyed it very much, and I think it is worthy for a spotlight!
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www.playingarchitecture.net
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Eric Lancon
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