A makeover like the one provided by Filip Victor. It adds HDR lighting, new models, new textures, an upgrade to the Orange Box engine (Valve performed their own tweaks for the 2007 re-release of the game on Xbox 360) and even some new Steam achievements to the ageing PC version of the original Half-Life 2.

You can see examples of the improvements made in the clip above (though be advised, you'll want to kill the sound). If you like what you see, you can find instructions on how to download the mod below.

Hl2 Pc Achivements & HDR Released [Steam, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

The blog One Dimensional Man deconstructs this kind of design, and comes up with another illusion - the illusion that the game isn't linear, and how the stage may be skillfully set for that. "Pseudo non-linearity," is the term the writer coins, and an expert example of it can be found in the opening sequences of Half-Life 2.

I agree that hamfisted mechanisms such as invisible walls sort of break the third wall, and at minimum are things working against immersion. But I'm not sure I ever felt that my freedom to explore anywhere in an FPS was part of the bargain in the first place. Hell, it's not completely part of the bargain in an open world RPG like Fallout 3. In Grayditch, an entire town, only a few buildings have doors that may be opened. The others have the kind of locked facades the writer calls a design flaw.

But we can't have everything. The key for a designer is knowing what we can have, and then how to discourage or prevent us from needlessly pursuing what we can't.

Freedom Is Dead, And Why It Doesn't Matter
[One Dimensional Man, Dec. 17, 2009]

The introduction to Half-Life 2 is a particularly useful archetype. The player (as Gordon Freeman), finds themselves trapped in the dystopian City 17, a living and breathing hell house of fascistic undertones (and a not so subtle reference to the dissolution of the Jewish ghettos in Nazi Germany). After a brief encounter with an old friend (Barney, undercover as one of the faceless Combines) it soon becomes clear that the mission is one of escape. As Gordon Freeman makes his way around the spatially imposing City 17, navigating its various alleys, back roads, and crumbling apartments, the sense of a genuine, living and breathing world is certainly palpable. Other ‘evacuees' offer small talk, ‘Combine' guardsman patrol the streets, while sinister public service announcements play on giant, dominating screens. The world conveys a sense of it pre-existing the player's arrival there, which is really, for all titles that strive for immersion, one of the apogees of virtual design.

What one may not be consciously aware of however as they navigate through this dystopian sprawl is that Gordon's escape route is quite immaculately linear; an effective straight line in the figurative sense. And yet one could be entirely forgiven for thinking this virtual City as fully, spatially unfastened, naked to the whims of electronic exploration.

This is due to the creative design principle of pseudo-nonlinearity.

City 17 employs several techniques to psychologically re-orientate the player in this way, all operating generally around this one principle. Perhaps most psychologically effective, are the Combine guardsman who ‘dynamically' operate to cordon off certain parts of City 17's various stairwells and pathways as Gordon attempts his escape. They are dynamic in the sense that they allow for a passing glimpse of the virtual world outside the player's immediate field of view, before finally forcing them back en-route (often by way of a hard whack from an electro-truncheon) to be left with only the tantalizing suggestion planted into their own imagination; that of a fluid world that only marginally pre-empts subjectivity. Simultaneously, a colossal barrier to immersion is shattered as the familiar constrictive sense of the ‘developer behind the curtain' ruthlessly chopping and cutting parts of the world from view is countered by effectively showing the world behind that curtain – if only briefly. This is sufficient however, as in the process an illusion of freedom, or rather of non-linearity, is actively cultivated in the player's mind; the world becomes actualized, feels more three dimensional, as the artificial barriers to exploration are, in turn, naturalized, effectively reshaped into actors of the story operating against the player. In the process, they are absolved of their essential artifice as agents of linearity.

Pseudo-nonlinearity may also be achieved without the aid of such dynamic tools (which, it is worth stating, cannot always be relied upon – owing to the context of plot or narrative) and this is certainly a more common approach to environmental design that one finds. In practice, the fundamentals remain largely unchanged as the principle barrier to exploration must still undergo the same process of naturalization; that is, it must be configured so as to maintain consonance to the inherited semiotic array of both narrative and environment. For instance, in introducing an obstruction into a particular environment, the environment must also be able to passively disclose the ‘story' of why that obstruction is present there. The closer fidelity is able to be maintained between the obstruction to individual progression and the dynamic motivation to progress (i.e. the narrative) the greater the linearity ‘deficit' is reduced. To use a common example from modern FPS design: a wrecked car or coach laying across a road or landscape forces the player onto a different path, effectively manipulating them into the appropriate, pre-determined direction. While this form of static obstruction may appear a rather brash imposition and unconscionable artifice, this hinges upon how effectively it is naturalized in respect to its narrative and environmental arrays. By ensuring that it conforms to the animus of these two factors, its symbolic charge as both artifice and bearer of linearity can be effectively neutralized.

To put it simply, the narrative should, either directly or indirectly, be able account for why the obstruction is there, while the environment (by means of inference) discloses how it got there.

These two environmental operators (static and dynamic) form the basis of environmental design from the principle of pseudo non-linearity. By deploying them, developers are able to mitigate the lingering problems associated with this shift toward a narrowing of exploration in favour of greater control. Of course, the ever-critical gamer will often be able to penetrate the façade, and readily deduce the reality of linearity on display. However, awareness, or pre-awareness should not detract from the overall effect, which like a magic trick, is able to retain much of its prestige despite knowledge of this basic deception.

- One Dimensional Man

Weekend Reader is Kotaku's look at the critical thinking in, and of video games. It appears Saturdays at noon. Please take the time to read the full article cited before getting involved in the debate here.

It's a five-part game that is more "episodic narrative" than shooter. In fact, it doesn't look like you shoot anything, ever. There are some puzzles to solve, but mostly, you're exploring what's left of a small town after the end of the world, digging through the remains to learn what happened in the final days before the apocalypse.

As someone who spent more time digging through empty fridges in Fallout 3 than he probably should have, it's right up my alley. Episode 1 is available now, and you can grab it here, while you can check out some trailers and screens at the game's site below.

[Post Script, via GameSetWatch]

Remember, this is Machinima (the site, and the titular genre), not a mod. So sit back and enjoy, you can't literally play this. Although it's hard to do so without imagining the impossible turbo tunnel level done in Source.

Half-letoads (Battletoads NES Remade In Half-Life 2) [Machinima on YouTube]

Pretty shrewd how the level's creator (M0rtanius) staggered the platforms so you could shoot up foes above and below you, just like in the 2D version. But I'm guessing this isn't one-hit-kill difficulty.

Thanks Awwal for sending the tip. Sorry we spotted it so late.

Half Contra (Contra NES Remade in Half-Life 2) [Machinima on YouTube]

First up is the disorienting and somewhat upsetting Half-Life Super Mario Bros. I guess in a 2D world, a gray haze is all Mario would see for miles around on either side of his orange brick path. But I can't remember the last plumber I met that uses a crowbar. And guns? Really?

Next up is a Castlevania Half-Life 2 mod that makes a lot more sense in context. But it still has the inexplicable crowbar.

Both videos are brought to us by Machinima.com.

Digital Ranch Interactive is releasing a full Dino D-Day game onto Steam in 2010, but you can get an early taste of the twisted World War II dinosaur action right now, courtesy of a Half-Life 2 mod preview of sorts. You step into the shoes of Sgt. Jack Hardgrave, a renowned paleontologist who thought he had left work behind, until Hitler raises dinosaurs to pit against the Allies in 1942. suddenly he's perhaps the most important weapon the Allies have against this new foe.

It sounds completely ridiculous, to be sure, but at the same time completely awesome. We're conflicted. Head over to the mod page to catch a glimpse of the trailer, featuring two really bad tastes that taste horrible together.

Dino D-Day: The Mod - Released! [Mod DB}

Valve founder Gabe Newell discusses this character in a newly uploaded YouTube video, which appears to be from that focus test. In it, Newell speaks of a hearing impaired character that Alyx "had a crush on" well before her first meeting with protagonist Gordon Freeman. According to Newell, Alyx taught her robot sidekick Dog to sign so she could practice, while this person is off, say, fighting the Combine.

Newell calls the character's inclusion and use of sign language an "excuse to build the technology for signing" in an unspecified game. Joining Newell at that session was Valve modeler/animator Bay Raitt, who apparently attended to study facial movements made by the deaf focus testers.

Newell also asks the testers, some of them fans of Valve, if they think the developer is serving the deaf community properly with its games, particularly in multiplayer.

We're not sure what Valve has planned for Episode 3, but Newell has indicated before that its extended development cycle is related to some new technology that the company plans to implement alongside the expansion's release.

But we're definitely happy that Valve is paying attention to this sort of thing, catering to a small segment of its user base, the one's incapable of hearing the soothing sounds of Gordon Freeman's voice.

Gabe Newell w/ Deaf Character - Part 2 - Part 3 [YouTube]

Nearly five years in the making by Studio Radi-8, NeoTokyo borrows inspiration from Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, plunging players into a future Japan fraught with strife both internally and geo-politically. When an attempt to alter Japan's constitution to allow the country to perform military actions outside of its borders fail, the military attempts to overthrow the government. Their initial attempts fail, but with the formation of Group Six, a military force sworn to protect the constitution, tensions are again on the rise.

The game looks completely amazing. As a fan of works like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, and many others, this is a world I've wanted to explore for a long time. Of course, once I do get in there I will be shot dead in seconds, but I'll really absorb the spot where my corpse lands.

Check out the official trailer below, and hit up the link to experience NeoTokyo for yourself.

NeoTokyo Client Download Page [Official Website]

All games included with The Orange Box - those being Half-Life 2, HL2 Episodes 1 & 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 - will now work with the novel controller. And Valve's other big shooters, like Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike, will "soon" be supported as well.

If that sounds just too awesome to resist, Valve and Novint are offering an Orange Box bundle over on Novint's site, where for $149 you can get a Falcon and The Orange Box.

Barnett's Fauxvism Series plays on the Fauvism style, a movement that followed the turn of the twentieth century, led by Henri Mattisse and André Derain. The painter's artist statement, or something that looks similar to an artist's statement, reads, in part: "There's a whole spiel behind this, starting from frustration at 3D games slavishly imitating real life (though this has been lessened thanks to Braid and others), but really, artists should shut up and make pictures."

Two more of those pictures, inspired by Team Fortress 2 and Fallout 3, are after this. More are available for sale at Barnett's web site, including some lovely Grand Theft Auto IV cityscapes.

2Fort Red Study
Oil on wood panel
10" x 8"

2Fort Red
Oil on cradled wood panel
20" x 16"

James Barnett's Official Site

Dog is the sort of robot that can appeal to both men and women. He's loveable, fiercely loyal, and downright cute at times, but he's also capable of tearing open a Strider and ripping out its brains with his bare hands. He's an amazing mix of cuddly puppy and unstoppable destructive force that just speaks to something inside all of us.

If dogs are man's best friend, then Dog is his best friend with benefits.

Wait...

Sadly, that probably won't happen. Ever. So we'll have to make do with these custom HL2 LEGO figures and playsets, exquisitely crafted by ORRANGE.

Who would have thought our bleak, totalitarian future under the yoke of alien oppressors could be so cute?

LEGO Half-Life 2 [ORRANGE @ Flickr]

Unless you don't have $10 to spare, there is officially no reason why you shouldn't at least own The Orange Box by the end of the weekend. $9.99 gets you Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2 Episode 1, Half-Life 2 Episode 2, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, Team Fortress 2, Portal, and some cake.

Okay, I lied about the cake.

The Orange Box for $9.99 [Steam]

Directed by The Purchase Brothers, Escape From City 17 was supposedly shot with "no money, no time, no crew, no script, [and] the first two episodes were made from beginning to end on a budget of $500". So they did a few thousand bucks' worth of work for free, then, because for a fan movie, this is freakin' amazing.

In the study, published Friday in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers surveyed more than 2,500 "frequent game players" and conducted four experiments on more than 300 college undergraduates. "We found that, on average, violent content didn't add to motivation for play," said lead author Andrew Przybylski of the University of Rochester, which cooperated with Orlando-based think tank Immersyve on the project.

"The reason why children gravitate to something like 'Halo,' 'Halo 3' or 'World of Warcraft' or 'Team Fortress' isn't necessarily because they want to get at the blood or the acts of violence," he said.

Here's how they determined it. Using Half-Life 2, players were given either a shotgun weapon or a psychic power. Players with a shotgun were told they were in a kill-or-be-killed scenario, and deaths were rendered in a very bloody and violent way. The psychic power gamers "were essentially playing a game of tag," and when they were able to hit an opponent with the ability, "the person just floated up very serenely into the air before evaporating."

After playing, the study subjects were asked how fun the game was and if they'd like to play it again. There was not enough of a difference in the two groups' responses to determine that violence had any affect on its perceived fun.

Craig Anderson, the director of the Center for the Study of Violence at Iowa State University, lauded the studies' methodology and said they made a strong contribution to understanding video games, how they're designed, who plays them, and why.

Przybylski said the findings should encourage designers to make games that make players feel like they're competent, can act autonomously, and stay connected with other players

"That's probably a better place for them to put their efforts than being able to very realistically depict someone's arm falling off," he said.

Blood and Gore Don't Make Games More Enjoyable: Study [Canadian Press]

Which is where the latest build of the FakeFactory mod for the game comes in. For a few years now, FakeFactory have been updating the game bit by bit, an updated model here, a new sound effect there, etc etc. But this latest version - taking it to v9.5 - really gives the game's visuals a kick in the pants.

For starters, it brings true, full HDR lighting to every map in the game. Then it gets rid of the sight limits on some maps, meaning if your system's powerful enough you can see from one end to the other. Then it adds full 3D foliage to the game, and to finish things off, a new, hi-res version of Dog.

While FakeFactory goes a step too far in adding new character models - that look downright awful - those technical tweaks ("before" & "after" comparison clip below) are still enough to get me digging around looking for my copy of Half-Life 2.

FakeFactory v9.5 [FilePlanet]

Turns out it's not just good for laughs. It's also good for cash money. Since releasing the commercial edition of his editing suite, creator Garry Newman has seen 312,541 (and counting) copies fly off Steam's shelf. At $9.99 a pop, that's $3.12 million worth of Garry's mod. Course, he doesn't pocket all of that, but we're sure he pockets enough to look at himself in the mirror every day and smile smugly.

GMod10 is 2 years old today! [Garry's Blog, via Big Download]

Of course, the ruse didn't work. The alleged hacker, Axel "Ago" Gembe, of Germany never came to Seattle. They did get him on the phone for a 40-minute conversation, under the auspices of talking about a job opportunity, in which Gembe talked about how he broke into Valve's network and observed their development of Half Life 2 for six months. He claimed he didn't post the code, or knowingly tell others how to get into the network, but that somehow another hacker group eavesdropped on an IRC conversation and found out. That group was the one responsible for getting the source code out.

It's some interesting cloak-and-dagger stuff. Apparently the fake job interview was a tactic the Seattle FBI had used before to snare a Russian hacker, going so far as to create a fake startup. That worked. Gembe was charged in Germany and sentenced to probation there, but now he's wanted in the U.S. for creating some malware used in a denial of service attack back in 2003.

Valve Tried to Trick Half-Life 2 Hacker Into Fake Job Interview [Wired]