CHAPTER COMMENTARY: Mirroring Gordon waking up to the sight of the destroyed Anti-Mass Spectrometer and a facility in total shambles, the opening moments of Duty Calls as Barney comes to in a destroyed elevator amongst the corpses of his colleagues similarly thrusts Barney right into the thick of the Black Mesa Incident, while adding a spurt of emotionally charged storytelling that the original chapter often lacked. The addition of various NPCS reacting to the events surrounding the player in horror, fear and panic, as well as the untimely demise of many of them as the player helplessly watches really builds upon an overarching theme in Blue Shift that I personally think sums up the whole game - even when disaster strikes, Barney is still at his heart performing his duty as a security guard and trying to protect those around him. What we see in this chapter is him answering the call of duty and immediately getting to work. The frustration of not being able to save everyone initially but slowly rising to the occasion as the game progresses will certainly be one of the most exciting things to see in HECU Collective’s rendition. Without a doubt, BM:BS does a great job of illustrating the terrible effects of the Resonance Cascade, not just by adding flair to the various sequences of destruction across Sector G, but also via the more discrete environmental storytelling, whether it’s the security guard who died a few feet away from his vehicle, upon which a dismembered Houndeye rests, as an all-too-familiar EAS message blares from the car radio, or the scientist at the bottom of the drainage canal shaft with a shotgun lying next to him and an eerily suspicious blood spatter above his head. Gameplay-wise, this chapter is easily 3x the length of the original, without sacrificing any of the first game’s charm or memorable sequences. On the contrary, the added or expanded areas and scripted sequences really help in establishing the scale of Sector G, similar to how Lambda Core was re-done in Black Mesa. One simply just has to look up a video of the original chapter to see how much effort the devs took into making every single room the player goes through feel like it has purpose and function. Of course, I can’t not mention the new attacks of the Vortigaunts as another addition I appreciated. I loved how each of these new attacks is specifically highlighted during the chapter as well, whether it’s the Vort that cleverly assaulted Barney with grenades in the tight canal access corridor, or the one that stopped itself from falling to death off a collapsing platform by teleporting away. With how much this chapter has changed compared to the original while still acknowledging and respecting the source material, I can’t wait to play through Captive Freight and see how the devs will tackle the massive freight yard segment. Rescuing Doctor Rosenberg from the HECU will be quite the battle I presume :)
I have to say I look forward to playing Captive Freight too but besides the reason you listed I also like this chapter for one because I love trains and railroad and the second reason being that I really like the outside enviroment in Black Mesa compared to original Half-Life. One could even argue that even Half-Life 2 doesn't have as vibrant and beautiful scenery.
@@Sexy_Nutella When I played Half Life 2 after replaying Black mesa I was so sad to see that the sky is always covered in clouds, and it's the worst with the coast. I mean... comon, I'd rather have a nice sunny day at the beach than this gloomy weather. But I guess it fits the atmosphere in a way.
@@Sexy_Nutella Yes they are by far the nicest ones in Half Life 2. Maybe the skyboxes of Ravenholm are a close second but that's a different thing entirely. There's this interesting mod which is in development called Dark-Life 2 or something like that. If you're interested be sure to check it out it looks like high quality. :)
I like how the internal com voice is already switched to that deep male voice. Anyone who played Black Mesa knows it means the Hecu soldiers are already here.
@gravity_studios3391 Duty Calls takes place around the time of Office Complex. You can tell because in both channels can you hear the first EAS broadcast (in Office Complex its through a radio around halfway through the level, and here you can here it at around 24:00. Assuming these are being broadcasted at the same time, then they occur at the same time. That would align the end of Duty Calls with Gordon's first meeting with the HECU too
8:58 With how fast the poor scientist was dissolved, I can't help but to appreciate how much the HEV protects people but that Underwater Breathing Apparatus would still be handy
I just wanted to say how much I liked the "character acting" in the beginning with Barney being freaked out by the headcrab zombie, and then panicking when he gets attacked. Really awesome attention to detail.
I'm glad! It was important for me from the get-go to portray Barney how I imagine he'd be like immediately after waking up from the Resonance Cascade, while also respecting what we are told about his character in HL2 (hates headcrabs with a burning passion, but has a ton of bravado to do what needs to be done).
@@Sexy_Nutella I mean it’s easy to get ptsd when you see one of your fellow security guards with that thing on its head and his jaw nearly detached from his body.
Holy smokes. This game knocks the "horror-survival situation" in Half-Life: Blue Shift out of the park. The developers on HECU Collective really did amazing work for us all.
Totally, it's a much more intense chapter for sure. This mod is actually developed by a team of devs called "HECU Collective" as opposed to Crowbar Collective, who made the base Black Mesa game :)
I would love to play both file versions of this mod on Moddb and Steam, but with Steam's file process nowadays, it feels intentional with how tech-dumb the new kids are becoming. Even worse when I'M one of those new kids and my steam account score is just average?!
I like the way you convey Barney emotion through movement and examining. From the way he still backs away after shooting the dead houndeye thinking it'd get backed up especially his first encounter with the headcrab zombie, the way he examines his dead colleagues probably still in shocked from the aftermath of the elevator. But most especially his fear of headcrab, after he wasted his ammunition to that one single headcrab, probably out of fear to not get mauled by those creatures or otherworldly sentients. No wonder he was such riddled mess when he thinks about headcrabs in HL2. Man has severe PTSD from the Black Mesa Incident, I'm suprised his even still alive all the way through the Seven Hour War. Ig he really is the Toughest Barney, the one last you could say. Still feed bad for him tho.
It was important for me to portray Barney as I felt he would've been like during the opening hours of the Resonance Cascade - terrified, but tough and able to perform under pressure despite his fears telling him not to.
This comment is pretty much what I wanted to say. Excellent work as always Nutella. You act out the characters very convincingly, and you don't even need words.
The atmosphere for this chapter was phenomenal but one detail I love way more than any sane person probably should is how Barney’s crowbar is differently colored from Gordon’s, it gives him a bit of extra distinction and I really like it
I too loved that little touch. I particularly liked how the texture on it is so detailed that you can see the tiny bumps and imperfections on it. So well done!
Ha, love how you actually play like Barney is confused and terrified what's going on. The first encounter with the Headcrab security guard a prime example as you did 'warning shots' before killing the guy, and the mag dump on the headcrab later, good show!
NOTES: - I missed a hidden area in Map 3 - if Barney takes the ladder down into the water at 32:25 and wades against the current into the tunnel, he will eventually arrive at the area that was blocked off at 32:09, awarding him a fresh vest as well as pistol ammunition - Barney can get all three explosive crates to the gate and destroy the crusher that way, rather than doing it one by one as I did (35:29) - It is not crucial to shut off the steam at 39:01 - Barney can simply run through the hazard, sustaining minor damage - If Barney doesn’t kill the Zombie Guard at 52:02 before powering up the generator, it will break down the gate once he returns to the area after the Vort fight - It does not matter which cable goes where for the generator puzzle at 52:46, so long as all the red outlets are used up - Headcrabs only take two pistol shots to kill - to suggest Barney’s hatred of these creatures and his inexperience with dealing with them initially, I opted to shoot them (and enemies in general) a couple more times - Vortigaunts have several new combat moves in BM:BS: 1) Launching a bouncing grenade, similar to the ones from the Spore Launcher in OpFor (31:12) 2) Teleporting during combat to a new location (31:12) 3) Releasing a shockwave towards Barney’s position, much like the Garg’s stomp attack in HL1 (37:17) - Killing any of the NPCs encountered in this chapter (the scientist at 10:14, the Guard at 13:32, the maintenance worker at 32:36) will result in a game over with the following game over screen: SUBJECT: Calhoun STATUS: Deceased (if the scientist is killed) - OR - Stuck in the facility (if the Guard or maintenance worker is killed) REASON: Demonstration of exceedingly poor judgement (if the scientist is killed) - OR - Failure to preserve mission-critical personnel (if the Guard or maintenance worker is killed) Ironically, the game over message still plays for each respective character even if the game has progressed past the point where they are still crucial to the objective. Additionally, even just injuring the maintenance worker once will result in the above game over screen.
it's been 22 years, and despite that the fact that valve made a spas12 into a pump action double barrel shotgun will never cease to make me laugh funny haha's aside, great work as always, especially with the subtle play differences between Gordon and Barney, like the double tapping, breaching in tandem with guards, pre-aiming and whatnot. these vids are always worth the wait
Not only that, but a SPAS-12 that can fire "both barrels" haha. Thanks for the kind words and super happy you picked up on the door breaches. I put a lot of effort into those small moments, super cool that you noticed ;)
What I really like is the greater inclusion of other workers besides security guards and scientists in this modification. I think more mods should do that. It really enhances the atmosphere to see all those workers besides the typical 2 types of NPCs. That didn't stop me from feeling sorry fot that one stuck scientist.
While I am aware that there was many technical limitations to the goldsrc hammer editor at the time, I really feel like this is what HL1 and even vanilla BM: S was missing I get that there would be a group of people getting mad at crowbar collective for adding “non-cannon personnel,” but I think they could’ve added the green uniformed maintenance workers, as they appear in the tram intro during the original HL1 so it wouldnt be uncannon to add them in
Man, the foreshadowing for the generator room fight is such a clever use of in-game music that I don't think I've seen before. Personally, I think the sheer amount of scripted events and music crammed into this mod makes the experience feel a bit overproduced at times, but that sequence with the vortigaunts and the buildup to it is pitch perfect. Nothing gives me chills quite like a well constructed Half-Life setpiece.
One of the greatest source remake mod I have ever played. It was worth my every patreon peny. Can't wait for chapter 4 "Captive Freight"! It's gonna be amaaaaaaazing. See you next time, Nutella!
This has to be one of the best fantastic videos to ever watch in this channel, everything about it is so great! I really like how there's so much character placed in Barney despite him not actually in the adventure. It's interests me how despite Barney having a crowbar like Gordon, he still has fears of Headcrabs while fighting them where Gordon used his crowbar so much on the Headcrabs.
So, in terms short, Adrians Shepards Squad, which was supposed to be on Disposal Duty, but they never made it there, and when Shephard woke up, the military was leaving in that late stage I'm very surprised that even the scientists in the medical sector never knew the HECU's true intentions?
I don't think it's actually that surprising considering how deep some Black Mesa staff had been initially stranded, and how much the lines of communication were down. Because Gordon is clued in on all the plot developments and keeps getting instructions from Lambda, we forget how many people are probably just muddling through with no context, contact or idea of what's happening
One weird thing is that even the HECU soldiers doesn't know why they are doing there or what exactly they will fought (Xen's creatures, X-Race and Black Mesa personal). Seeing G-Man talking to an officer on Opposing Force make me think he was part of him ( and his Employers) schemes all the time.
Aside from a fascinating remake and soundtrack, ambiance is super cool aswell. From the echoing explosions in the background they made it very obvious that the outcome of Resonance Cascade is still going on, unlike in HLBS where "it just blew over and we gotta get out of here". Actually reminded me "Black Mesa Silo D Ambiance". The facility is falling apart bits by bits.
Yeah, the ambience is great. I loved the distant Houndeye sonic attack sounds and Vortigaunt chatter. It made me turn my head the first time I played this chapter in fear that they were going to teleport in and attack me
I always liked to imagine that the reason for the resonance cascade bursts of energy and subsequent vort rush at the power room, is that it’s taking place at the same time Gina and collete are attempting to reactivate the dampening fields
@@Sexy_Nutella Basically in chp. 4 Resonance, Gina & Collete try reactivating the Antimass spectrometer's Dampening fields to stop the resonance cascade, which causes bursts of energy and lots of vorts and grunts to teleport to try and stop them. This is during the same time the military arrives to BM for the first time. So I imagined that the Nihilanth is just sending waves of troops in panick that they may close the rift at this time, and Barney got unlucky to be targeted too. Maybe even this is during the same time gordon gets rushed by vorts in Office Complex.
23:00 Gotta love how reliably the radio transmissions in Half-Life series connect the events' chronology. Gordon hears this exact same message while going through Office Complex.
what a great time this was. I love the cinematic nature of both the BM development team and your own flare on how you interpet barney's handling of things. Great shooting, story telling...just all around amazing. Can't wait for the next one in..I imagine quite awhile :P
I just realised that the reason why barney has that scar on his cheek in HL2, is because of the scientist hitting him with the crowbar. (10:00) thats one hell of a detail that HECU Collective put in there
3:504:37This chapter has a weird gag of security guards being thrown down stairs by zombies 8:05 this guard is talking to his imaginary friend 8:57 scientist got SP00K’D 32:40 this Maintenance worker is typing on his lunch box as if it's a keyboard
this mod has some really impressive cutscenes and voice acting! and i love how the guard just keeps kicking doors xd i never played the original, but the green sludge room with platforming really reminds me of a similar level in opposing force
I think I know which room you're talking about - it's the one in the very first chapter where the platform slowly crumbles and the G-man eventually saves Shepard right? :)
@@Sexy_Nutella Yes, the one with many headcrabs. Though now that I checked it again, the only similarity to the room here in Duty Calls is that there's a close call while jumping
Taking into effect the alert message on the radio and the sudden change of the announcer voice it can probably be guessed that Calhoun wakes up in the later end of 'Unforseen Consequences' and goes all the way through 'Office Complex'. This chapter likely ends in 'We've Got Hostiles' but the liberties taken with the times may suggest it could end in the early stages of 'Blast Pit'
Yeah, I'm not sure when this takes place. The fact that it's Mid-day when Calhoun reaches the surface seems to suggest it takes place indeed sometime before WGH as WGH was set at sunset
I finally played it. Man it's really good. The lighting and reflections look top notch. The vorts are a bit more intimidating than Black Mesa. I ended up doing the third method of installing. Had to copy and paste the files into Black Mesa directory.
I think Duty Calls takes place around Blast Pit or On A Rail. At the end of the chapter Calhoun sees it’s morning, which must mean that it’s around Apprehension. 17:08 WHAT THE HELL
Yeah, I'm wondering when exactly this chapter takes place myself - though it seems to be mid-day when he emerges out of the canals, I always assumed it takes place at the same time as Office Complex due to the same EAS message that played at the car. But the passage of time doesn't seem to line up if that's the case.
Great to see more of this mod, especially with your immersive gameplay style. Do you know if anyone is currently working on a remake of Opposing Force? It would be amazing to see all of Half-Life's content reimagined and expanded like this. (maybe even the co-op campaign from the PS2 port one day, seeing as there's a reference to it in Black Mesa, I think)
Tripmine studios are working on Opposing force remake named Operation Black Mesa and Blue shift remake named Guard duty . They are working on both from couple of years with their own version of the source engine ,their own assets etc. The game will be Operation Black Mesa and Guard duty will be like dlc to the main game i think . You can check their progress on moddb and also they have now steampage with their game, but realese date still its unknown .
As İlker said, Tripmine Studios' work is what you'd want to look into for the OpFor remake (they are also doing their own rendition of the Blue Shift remake). As for Decay (the PS2 port you are talking about), a group called PSR Digital is making their version of it called "Peer Review", which will support single player as well!
Really nice touch there with first warning shots at the first zombie, then non-lethal shots in his legs, and only then going for the kill! Now I really wonder when exactly did Barney wake up in this version of Blue Shift. In my playthrough of the original BS he woke up around the end of "We've got Hostiles" and beginning of Blast Pit. Here, however, he wakes up around the end of Unforseen Consequences, if the EAS message at 23:10 doesn't loop. I guess we'll get answers when the full expansion comes out. And I love that detail with unfolding SPAS-12's stock! For me, a proud hater of HD models, this was an especially nice touch from devs xD
Glad you liked the characterization I gave Barney. Regarding timeline, I had originally thought it was around the same time as Office Complex as the same EAS message plays in both chapters, but then I realised it's mid-day when Barney goes up to the surface in this game whereas Office Complex would've been close to sunset as WGH comes right after. Perhaps Captive Freight will take place somewhere around that time as welll, unless the EAS message is just looping like you said. Ditto on the SPAS-12 stock, I loved that animation
Speaking of time of day, Gearbox really screwed up with this detail in HL:BS. As I said, Barney wakes up there closer to sunset, and yet Captive Freight takes place during midday, but when he activates the focusing device in Xen it's already a middle of the night, according to Decay's last mission.
Two of my main complaints about the original Blue Shift were that it was too short and not especially detailed. If this chapter is an indication of what HECU have planned for the rest of the game, then it's on track to be a masterpiece. I mean they turned a pretty short and kind of lackluster chapter into an amazing survival horror slog. The first map especially is one of the creepiest maps in BM so far, and that's saying something. (F for the scientist who falls in the radioactive slime, that's an awful way to go). I have to give a special shout out to the ambience. The alarms, muffled screams and explosions, and sounds of the facility starting to crumble make for some top notch atmosphere. Even the Vorts manage to be pretty intimidating here. I was honestly pretty surprised when I heard that their new attacks are actually scripted (props to whoever made those scripts). Anyway, can't wait to see what they do with Captive Freight. Great playthrough once again Nutella!
Thanks for the comment and support as always! I agree on how HECU Collective transformed this chapter into something more memorable than the original. The ambience that you pointed out is a definite highlight.
I love you sexy nutella I had been watching your Alyx playthrough, you've brought in the essence of her character so well, plus thanks for adding all these trivia and time stamps in description
I love how the Intercom is changed from the regular pre-disaster voice to the military one, indicating while Barney was down below in the canals, the military has arrived.
I love the changes of the scientist giving you his crowbar and that Barney handles it a bit differently than Gordon. It feels heavier with each swing closer to the wrench in OF rather than Gordon swinging it wildly as fast as he can.
Love the detail of how calhoun hesitates to shoot the first zombie, being a security guard who he could relate to, only before killing and being freaked out by the already dead headcrab and later not having any issues with killing zombies
I feel the way the technician talk and "jokes" in the waste disposal area show he is so in shock he cannot process what really is going on. i was the line of "well this is coming out of my paycheck" that made me realize he is in shock. It could feel like a throw away joke but he says it without humor like he is totally serious about it, and it clicked to me that unlike the rest of the NPC you find he is way too calm, he simply cannot process what just happened in Black Mesa.
Hey my friend, how are u? Well, Callhoun is one of the most importants officer security in Black Mesa. He is best friend's Gordon, Rosenberg, Walter, Simmons, Eli Vance and Kleiner (from HL2 and episode 1). Nice walkthrough. When u battle HECU in chapter 4, make them suffer, cause the soldiers killed all your colleagues security guards and scientists.
I think the area right at the end of the second map is when the HECU arrives, evident by the similarities between the High Security Materials Storage Area and the surface shelling you hear, although it can be the structural support systems failing.
I always thought the Original Blue Shift was overhated. However, it does have the benefit of not being as, deservedly, sacred as the original Half Life and allows for more experimentation and expansion, and it ironically, it has opened my eyes to see how much better the original Blue Shift could have been. This looks like it could easily rival the original Black Mesa in terms of quality and added content. This genuinely blows my mind with how much they added! I cannot wait to see more from them and you. My nitpick, and it truly is one of the pettiest I've had, but I wish barney got a baton or nightstick instead of a crowbar. it would fit his role better and not crib Gordons weapon, although I do understand it could be to reference the crowbar he gives Gordon in the Sequel.
I like how the ambience of this chapter really tells you that everything is going to hell. You hear houndeyes, structural support beams creaking and shaking from what could be explosions. I think they could’ve immersed the player more by adding more sounds, like guards friendly firing scientists, the marines executing scientists, screams, and talking. Or, to give the illusion of less survivors as the game progresses, they could make it so that the further you go into the map, the less sounds you hear. Really cool if you think about it.
Remember when I said a lot of the expansion in Xen was based on Valve's unused ideas? This becomes especially apparent if you compare the concept sketches in HL2: Raising the Bar with such things as the swamp in Xen, the manufacturing plant in the grunt factory, the interconnectedness of the overall setting, & the chase sequence element to Gonarch's Lair.
Hey, cool to have you back, and a lenghty episode too :-) Have you maybe considered binding a console command to holster your weapon when using stuff like ladders, or interacting with the environment for some added realism? Not a huge deal, but really helps the immersion into the POV.
I've actually tried that before - the annoying part is that I have to rebind the command every time I reload a save. Given the numerous attempts I take to do each chapter, this became very cumbersome. I also tried to put it in the autoexec.cfg file but it didn't seem to work - if there is something I'm missing here I'll gladly take any advice on how to do it!
@@Sexy_Nutella I think the person to inquire would be our lord and savior - Ross Scott :-) You can chack his email at Accuresd Farms / Contact section. He did reply to some of my emails in the past, and I'm sure that if there's a person who struggled more than anyone and paved the way for HL-related content, that would be him. Anyway, thanks for replying to me! Keep up the great work and keep being awesome o/
Good mod, my only real complaint is with the animations, I'm pretty sure some animations are moccapped and the others animated, Wich looks jarring during transitions, and I think the HECU voicelines are too mechanical. I also find it funny how you get smacked in the head with a crowbar yet take 0 damage.
Don’t worry. The Captive Freight chapter and its update will improve most of our hand-keyed animations to a new remade ones or update the old versions of them
@@Sexy_Nutella Apparently they're replacing Barney's crowbar with a flashlight. Can't wait to bash Vortigaunts in the face with a flashlight in a steel hall!
I just want to say how much I am loving your playthrough of this mod. All the little background noises that are going on while you're doing things makes it really feel like the building and the entire place is coming apart. Also what music track was that playing at 54:30?
Glad you like it and thanks as always for the comment :) That track is not released officially but I believe it is a remix of "Meta-Collide" from the previous chapter
If the creature invasion was JUST a Headcrab infestation then maybe Black Mesa would've had a chance, but the Vortigaunts and other aliens made it hopeless.
Your version of Barney has been through hell First he tries to kill himself in the lobby and then is trapped in a falling elevator and now he's witnessing his colleagues die in front of him
Haha, so my intent in Chapter 02 wasn't to suggest he's trying to kill himself but just that he likes screwing around. Definitely not his day though by any means xD
ONE HOUR!? A one hour chapter!? Come ooooooooooon!!!!! You're making it really hard for me to wait longer to actually play BM:BS. This is a pointless comment, but you may have realised by now I do love commenting on your shit, haha. I'll come back to this video eventually to actually watch it. Solid job as always, I'm sure! 👍
I was going to split it but figured it's been a long enough wait that I can probably just wrap up everything and get it all out at once haha. Thanks for the comment as always and hopefully you find your way back here after you've had a chance to play it :)
If only it was possible for the modders to fix the bad ai in Black Mesa in addition to remaking Blue Shift. It’s really cool how they gave the Vortigaunts a bunch of new powers. If anything they new powers are really mild compared to what they can do in lore. One thing I’d love to see (but probably won’t happen) would be for them to reimagine those Xen caves you crouch through as an Antlion den. That would add a little bit more enemy variety, and be a cool change of pace.
Yeah, good point on the Vorts being even more powerful than what is shown here - I am reminded that the freed Vort in HL:A managed to take down a substation without her assistance with its comrades. Super deadly. If they do an Antlion den in Xen that'd be so cool!
If you type sv_cheats 1, and then follow it with impulse 200, you can holster your weapon. Enter it again to bring your weapon back up. It's great for immersion and when you're in the same room as some NPCs. You can even bind it! For example, I type: sv_cheats 1 bind "x" "Impulse 200"
I was struggling to find a bind that wouldn't reset everytime I reloaded the save, luckily I was able to modify the config file to do so. Definitely does help with immersion as you've said, and I'm looking forward to using it in Chapter 4 :)
A couple of things that I wish we had in this (absolutely top tier) game: - I think Barney should have a different weapon to a crowbar. Maybe a truncheon? Maybe he gets the crowbar after he sees Gordon dumped into the garbage crusher. - The game settings have an option to turn the HUD off for realism. I kind of like this, but I wish there was a midpoint option between having it off or on. Like a "Press X to check HUD" mechanic, as if Barney's got a little readout on his wrist that's connected to his vest. - A little bit of exposition talking about how the security guards recently had new bulletproof vests sent out a couple weeks prior that are powered kind of like a HEV suit but aren't rechargeable. Could have it as an exchange between two security guards which is meta-commentary on the mod itself: "Why would they even send them out if they haven't finished the design?" "You know companies these days, always rushing to get things out before they're done... I'm sure there'll be some attachment sent out in the next few weeks that fixes it"
HECU Collective made this mod, unless you're talking about the way they're portrayed in the base game :) i do agree, they seem much more like unwilling slaves here compared to the original
I'm the kind of guy that would wash his hands and just about everything if I were to swim through a river of shit. Or get a tiny amount on my hands or something. Then die as I'm washing my hands.
hey quick question, does this mod add attakcs for the vortigaunts? i dont remember that bouncy granade attack and the charged one that destroys doors...
I would love to see Hecu Collective revisit Original Black Mesa because they really have a vision that I like more than the Crowbar Collective one even if I LOOOVE Black Mesa. It's a bit hard to explain but i really like their level design and Ambiant work !
Ah are you going to upload a version of Captive Freight? I basically consider your run throughs canon, but I understand you might have other things going on in your life and if so I will watch someone else's.
Absolutely, gonna start production this week. I am hoping to crush it out as soon as I can but as you know these things take time - hopefully I will have something substantial in a week's time!
Wow this looks amazing!! Looks like it'll be a lot longer than the original too. I did a permadeath run of the original a while back and the whole video is only an hour and a half!! Haha. I don't even play particularly fast so that's pretty short. How can I play this now? Is it on steam?
![Black Mesa: Definitive Edition - 08 - On A Rail [Hard]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5hF_JyOXyLo/mqdefault.jpg)
CHAPTER COMMENTARY:
Mirroring Gordon waking up to the sight of the destroyed Anti-Mass Spectrometer and a facility in total shambles, the opening moments of Duty Calls as Barney comes to in a destroyed elevator amongst the corpses of his colleagues similarly thrusts Barney right into the thick of the Black Mesa Incident, while adding a spurt of emotionally charged storytelling that the original chapter often lacked. The addition of various NPCS reacting to the events surrounding the player in horror, fear and panic, as well as the untimely demise of many of them as the player helplessly watches really builds upon an overarching theme in Blue Shift that I personally think sums up the whole game - even when disaster strikes, Barney is still at his heart performing his duty as a security guard and trying to protect those around him. What we see in this chapter is him answering the call of duty and immediately getting to work. The frustration of not being able to save everyone initially but slowly rising to the occasion as the game progresses will certainly be one of the most exciting things to see in HECU Collective’s rendition.
Without a doubt, BM:BS does a great job of illustrating the terrible effects of the Resonance Cascade, not just by adding flair to the various sequences of destruction across Sector G, but also via the more discrete environmental storytelling, whether it’s the security guard who died a few feet away from his vehicle, upon which a dismembered Houndeye rests, as an all-too-familiar EAS message blares from the car radio, or the scientist at the bottom of the drainage canal shaft with a shotgun lying next to him and an eerily suspicious blood spatter above his head.
Gameplay-wise, this chapter is easily 3x the length of the original, without sacrificing any of the first game’s charm or memorable sequences. On the contrary, the added or expanded areas and scripted sequences really help in establishing the scale of Sector G, similar to how Lambda Core was re-done in Black Mesa. One simply just has to look up a video of the original chapter to see how much effort the devs took into making every single room the player goes through feel like it has purpose and function. Of course, I can’t not mention the new attacks of the Vortigaunts as another addition I appreciated. I loved how each of these new attacks is specifically highlighted during the chapter as well, whether it’s the Vort that cleverly assaulted Barney with grenades in the tight canal access corridor, or the one that stopped itself from falling to death off a collapsing platform by teleporting away.
With how much this chapter has changed compared to the original while still acknowledging and respecting the source material, I can’t wait to play through Captive Freight and see how the devs will tackle the massive freight yard segment. Rescuing Doctor Rosenberg from the HECU will be quite the battle I presume :)
I have to say I look forward to playing Captive Freight too but besides the reason you listed I also like this chapter for one because I love trains and railroad and the second reason being that I really like the outside enviroment in Black Mesa compared to original Half-Life. One could even argue that even Half-Life 2 doesn't have as vibrant and beautiful scenery.
@@delta9685 I agree - Surface Tension in Black Mesa has one of my favourite skyboxes and daytime lighting.
@@Sexy_Nutella When I played Half Life 2 after replaying Black mesa I was so sad to see that the sky is always covered in clouds, and it's the worst with the coast. I mean... comon, I'd rather have a nice sunny day at the beach than this gloomy weather. But I guess it fits the atmosphere in a way.
@@delta9685 I do love the skyboxes in Water Hazard. Beautiful
@@Sexy_Nutella Yes they are by far the nicest ones in Half Life 2. Maybe the skyboxes of Ravenholm are a close second but that's a different thing entirely. There's this interesting mod which is in development called Dark-Life 2 or something like that. If you're interested be sure to check it out it looks like high quality. :)
I like how the internal com voice is already switched to that deep male voice. Anyone who played Black Mesa knows it means the Hecu soldiers are already here.
That is a GREAT catch and I totally didn't pick up on that at all haha.
Huh, interesting. How long has Barney been knocked out?
@@Gravity_studioss maybe 2 hours or so playtime of Gordon when the HECU arrives.
@gravity_studios3391 Duty Calls takes place around the time of Office Complex. You can tell because in both channels can you hear the first EAS broadcast (in Office Complex its through a radio around halfway through the level, and here you can here it at around 24:00. Assuming these are being broadcasted at the same time, then they occur at the same time.
That would align the end of Duty Calls with Gordon's first meeting with the HECU too
i played we've got a hostiles and yes i already was thinking soldiers are here
8:58
With how fast the poor scientist was dissolved, I can't help but to appreciate how much the HEV protects people
but that Underwater Breathing Apparatus would still be handy
The Integrated Waste Disposal system would've also been handy for Calhoun in this chapter hehe ;)
And good boots in Calhoun's case...
I just wanted to say how much I liked the "character acting" in the beginning with Barney being freaked out by the headcrab zombie, and then panicking when he gets attacked. Really awesome attention to detail.
I'm glad! It was important for me from the get-go to portray Barney how I imagine he'd be like immediately after waking up from the Resonance Cascade, while also respecting what we are told about his character in HL2 (hates headcrabs with a burning passion, but has a ton of bravado to do what needs to be done).
@@Sexy_Nutella saw the comment that inspired this, good work.
@@Sexy_Nutella I mean it’s easy to get ptsd when you see one of your fellow security guards with that thing on its head and his jaw nearly detached from his body.
I like the detail of how he rushed by all of the zombies during the fan part to try to save that one falling Guard.
I'm happy you pointed that out. Definitely intended to convey how desperate he was to save him.
Holy smokes. This game knocks the "horror-survival situation" in Half-Life: Blue Shift out of the park. The developers on HECU Collective really did amazing work for us all.
Totally, it's a much more intense chapter for sure. This mod is actually developed by a team of devs called "HECU Collective" as opposed to Crowbar Collective, who made the base Black Mesa game :)
@@Sexy_Nutella Nevertheless their voice actors lended their help :)
@@bbenjoe Definitely! Kevin Sisk and Mike Hillard continue to excel as Guard and Scientists :)
I would love to play both file versions of this mod on Moddb and Steam, but with Steam's file process nowadays, it feels intentional with how tech-dumb the new kids are becoming. Even worse when I'M one of those new kids and my steam account score is just average?!
I like the way you convey Barney emotion through movement and examining. From the way he still backs away after shooting the dead houndeye thinking it'd get backed up especially his first encounter with the headcrab zombie, the way he examines his dead colleagues probably still in shocked from the aftermath of the elevator. But most especially his fear of headcrab, after he wasted his ammunition to that one single headcrab, probably out of fear to not get mauled by those creatures or otherworldly sentients. No wonder he was such riddled mess when he thinks about headcrabs in HL2. Man has severe PTSD from the Black Mesa Incident, I'm suprised his even still alive all the way through the Seven Hour War. Ig he really is the Toughest Barney, the one last you could say. Still feed bad for him tho.
It was important for me to portray Barney as I felt he would've been like during the opening hours of the Resonance Cascade - terrified, but tough and able to perform under pressure despite his fears telling him not to.
This comment is pretty much what I wanted to say. Excellent work as always Nutella. You act out the characters very convincingly, and you don't even need words.
@@TheCrystalon glad my efforts weren't in vain!
The atmosphere for this chapter was phenomenal but one detail I love way more than any sane person probably should is how Barney’s crowbar is differently colored from Gordon’s, it gives him a bit of extra distinction and I really like it
I too loved that little touch. I particularly liked how the texture on it is so detailed that you can see the tiny bumps and imperfections on it. So well done!
Ha, love how you actually play like Barney is confused and terrified what's going on. The first encounter with the Headcrab security guard a prime example as you did 'warning shots' before killing the guy, and the mag dump on the headcrab later, good show!
I am glad you picked up on those! I really tried to envision how Barney in canon would react in that situation.
NOTES:
- I missed a hidden area in Map 3 - if Barney takes the ladder down into the water at 32:25 and wades against the current into the tunnel, he will eventually arrive at the area that was blocked off at 32:09, awarding him a fresh vest as well as pistol ammunition
- Barney can get all three explosive crates to the gate and destroy the crusher that way, rather than doing it one by one as I did (35:29)
- It is not crucial to shut off the steam at 39:01 - Barney can simply run through the hazard, sustaining minor damage
- If Barney doesn’t kill the Zombie Guard at 52:02 before powering up the generator, it will break down the gate once he returns to the area after the Vort fight
- It does not matter which cable goes where for the generator puzzle at 52:46, so long as all the red outlets are used up
- Headcrabs only take two pistol shots to kill - to suggest Barney’s hatred of these creatures and his inexperience with dealing with them initially, I opted to shoot them (and enemies in general) a couple more times
- Vortigaunts have several new combat moves in BM:BS:
1) Launching a bouncing grenade, similar to the ones from the Spore Launcher in OpFor (31:12)
2) Teleporting during combat to a new location (31:12)
3) Releasing a shockwave towards Barney’s position, much like the Garg’s stomp attack in HL1 (37:17)
- Killing any of the NPCs encountered in this chapter (the scientist at 10:14, the Guard at 13:32, the maintenance worker at 32:36) will result in a game over with the following game over screen:
SUBJECT: Calhoun
STATUS: Deceased (if the scientist is killed) - OR - Stuck in the facility (if the Guard or maintenance worker is killed)
REASON: Demonstration of exceedingly poor judgement (if the scientist is killed) - OR - Failure to preserve mission-critical personnel (if the Guard or maintenance worker is killed)
Ironically, the game over message still plays for each respective character even if the game has progressed past the point where they are still crucial to the objective. Additionally, even just injuring the maintenance worker once will result in the above game over screen.
100% sure we will be running into both again in a later chapter.
good mod bro 🙂
i love this kind of mod but my weak device and the lack of electricity in our country are the obstacle 😞😢
Don't worry if you missed the hidden area in Map 3, there will be a next time.
The video is still fantastic! 👍
@@DayDay-d3v Aww, thank you! :)
it's been 22 years, and despite that
the fact that valve made a spas12 into a pump action double barrel shotgun will never cease to make me laugh
funny haha's aside, great work as always, especially with the subtle play differences between Gordon and Barney, like the double tapping, breaching in tandem with guards, pre-aiming and whatnot.
these vids are always worth the wait
Not only that, but a SPAS-12 that can fire "both barrels" haha. Thanks for the kind words and super happy you picked up on the door breaches. I put a lot of effort into those small moments, super cool that you noticed ;)
Npc use full-auto.
@@Sexy_NutellaI think it’s because the original half life devs confused the magazine tube for another barrel lol
What I really like is the greater inclusion of other workers besides security guards and scientists in this modification. I think more mods should do that. It really enhances the atmosphere to see all those workers besides the typical 2 types of NPCs. That didn't stop me from feeling sorry fot that one stuck scientist.
Yeah, the added NPCs and the various different models really add a lot to the atmosphere
While I am aware that there was many technical limitations to the goldsrc hammer editor at the time, I really feel like this is what HL1 and even vanilla BM: S was missing
I get that there would be a group of people getting mad at crowbar collective for adding “non-cannon personnel,” but I think they could’ve added the green uniformed maintenance workers, as they appear in the tram intro during the original HL1 so it wouldnt be uncannon to add them in
@@SomeGrunt_On_UA-camahh gose or something
Man, the foreshadowing for the generator room fight is such a clever use of in-game music that I don't think I've seen before. Personally, I think the sheer amount of scripted events and music crammed into this mod makes the experience feel a bit overproduced at times, but that sequence with the vortigaunts and the buildup to it is pitch perfect. Nothing gives me chills quite like a well constructed Half-Life setpiece.
Agreed. Great use of dynamic music and buildup there for sure.
One of the greatest source remake mod I have ever played. It was worth my every patreon peny.
Can't wait for chapter 4 "Captive Freight"! It's gonna be amaaaaaaazing.
See you next time, Nutella!
The level of detail given to this mod is incredible. Thanks for the comment!
I'm mostly waiting for Focal Point chapter.
Xen, you know.
the roleplay you're doing really adds to the gameplay. great video!
Glad you enjoy it! :)
This has to be one of the best fantastic videos to ever watch in this channel, everything about it is so great! I really like how there's so much character placed in Barney despite him not actually in the adventure.
It's interests me how despite Barney having a crowbar like Gordon, he still has fears of Headcrabs while fighting them where Gordon used his crowbar so much on the Headcrabs.
So glad you like it DayDayGaming ;)
So, in terms short, Adrians Shepards Squad, which was supposed to be on Disposal Duty, but they never made it there, and when Shephard woke up, the military was leaving in that late stage I'm very surprised that even the scientists in the medical sector never knew the HECU's true intentions?
I might be remembering incorrectly but I thought the scientists did eventually realize they weren't there to rescue them?
I don't think it's actually that surprising considering how deep some Black Mesa staff had been initially stranded, and how much the lines of communication were down. Because Gordon is clued in on all the plot developments and keeps getting instructions from Lambda, we forget how many people are probably just muddling through with no context, contact or idea of what's happening
One weird thing is that even the HECU soldiers doesn't know why they are doing there or what exactly they will fought (Xen's creatures, X-Race and Black Mesa personal).
Seeing G-Man talking to an officer on Opposing Force make me think he was part of him ( and his Employers) schemes all the time.
@@Sexy_Nutellaprobably via radio and word of mouth
I really liked the matinance worker in the Waste Disposal part of the chapter. He was very polite, and had a good VA.
Yeah, seemed like a great guy all around
This is accurately show how terrifying was the Resonance Cascade
Agreed, you really feel like the facility is falling apart
Aside from a fascinating remake and soundtrack, ambiance is super cool aswell. From the echoing explosions in the background they made it very obvious that the outcome of Resonance Cascade is still going on, unlike in HLBS where "it just blew over and we gotta get out of here". Actually reminded me "Black Mesa Silo D Ambiance".
The facility is falling apart bits by bits.
Yeah, the ambience is great. I loved the distant Houndeye sonic attack sounds and Vortigaunt chatter. It made me turn my head the first time I played this chapter in fear that they were going to teleport in and attack me
6:31 The collapsing of the shelving units here was really well done.
Agreed, it looked really great!
I always liked to imagine that the reason for the resonance cascade bursts of energy and subsequent vort rush at the power room, is that it’s taking place at the same time Gina and collete are attempting to reactivate the dampening fields
I haven't played Decay in a while so stuff like this is lost to me. Thanks for the tidbit!
@@Sexy_Nutella Basically in chp. 4 Resonance, Gina & Collete try reactivating the Antimass spectrometer's Dampening fields to stop the resonance cascade, which causes bursts of energy and lots of vorts and grunts to teleport to try and stop them.
This is during the same time the military arrives to BM for the first time. So I imagined that the Nihilanth is just sending waves of troops in panick that they may close the rift at this time, and Barney got unlucky to be targeted too. Maybe even this is during the same time gordon gets rushed by vorts in Office Complex.
54:25 I like how the soundtrack builds up tension when a bunch of Vorts teleported in.
Yeah, the layering of that score is awesome.
A duty that Barney will never forget. Good call!
Haha, always loved this chapter title for that reason!
2:29
23:00 Gotta love how reliably the radio transmissions in Half-Life series connect the events' chronology.
Gordon hears this exact same message while going through Office Complex.
what a great time this was. I love the cinematic nature of both the BM development team and your own flare on how you interpet barney's handling of things. Great shooting, story telling...just all around amazing. Can't wait for the next one in..I imagine quite awhile :P
I'm awaiting Captive Freight with great anticipation! Thanks for the comment as always
I've been waiting on this for a while but I am glad it finally here.
Good job man!
Sorry for the wait! Hope it's worth it :)
The first guard you meet with is another badass to add to my collection of "badass NPCs from Black Mesa"
Yeaah, the Guards in this game are awesome. Shame so many of them died :(
We got Otis and... Kickman
I just realised that the reason why barney has that scar on his cheek in HL2, is because of the scientist hitting him with the crowbar. (10:00) thats one hell of a detail that HECU Collective put in there
3:50 4:37This chapter has a weird gag of security guards being thrown down stairs by zombies
8:05 this guard is talking to his imaginary friend
8:57 scientist got SP00K’D
32:40 this Maintenance worker is typing on his lunch box as if it's a keyboard
I thought there were two guards at the 3:06 timestamp as well when I first played haha
At 10:43 I love the detail of the vorts destroying the camera, great video as always Nutella!
Glad you enjoyed it!
31:04 The way they covered the C in canal access lol
Cant be a coincidence 😩
Haha, now that you mention it...
this mod has some really impressive cutscenes and voice acting! and i love how the guard just keeps kicking doors xd
i never played the original, but the green sludge room with platforming really reminds me of a similar level in opposing force
I think I know which room you're talking about - it's the one in the very first chapter where the platform slowly crumbles and the G-man eventually saves Shepard right? :)
@@Sexy_Nutella Yes, the one with many headcrabs. Though now that I checked it again, the only similarity to the room here in Duty Calls is that there's a close call while jumping
Taking into effect the alert message on the radio and the sudden change of the announcer voice it can probably be guessed that Calhoun wakes up in the later end of 'Unforseen Consequences' and goes all the way through 'Office Complex'. This chapter likely ends in 'We've Got Hostiles' but the liberties taken with the times may suggest it could end in the early stages of 'Blast Pit'
Yeah, I'm not sure when this takes place. The fact that it's Mid-day when Calhoun reaches the surface seems to suggest it takes place indeed sometime before WGH as WGH was set at sunset
I finally played it. Man it's really good. The lighting and reflections look top notch. The vorts are a bit more intimidating than Black Mesa. I ended up doing the third method of installing. Had to copy and paste the files into Black Mesa directory.
Glad you had a chance to go through it! Yeah, I remember the install being a bit more complicated than simply getting it off the workshop haha
I think Duty Calls takes place around Blast Pit or On A Rail. At the end of the chapter Calhoun sees it’s morning, which must mean that it’s around Apprehension.
17:08 WHAT THE HELL
Yeah, I'm wondering when exactly this chapter takes place myself - though it seems to be mid-day when he emerges out of the canals, I always assumed it takes place at the same time as Office Complex due to the same EAS message that played at the car. But the passage of time doesn't seem to line up if that's the case.
Chapter four is out now, looking forward to seeing you play it.
Working on it!
I feel bad for that scientist that got killed by the Vort in that airlock thing, She was absolutely terrified, wish she made it.
Yeah, she seemed so terrified in her last moments. This day exacted a heavy toll.
That Spac unfolding animation ... sight for sore eyes.
Loved that little touch!
It all started ,with just a single game "half life " and everything evolved into higher level .
Yup. Half-Life was so influential and the games continue to be top tier
Great to see more of this mod, especially with your immersive gameplay style. Do you know if anyone is currently working on a remake of Opposing Force? It would be amazing to see all of Half-Life's content reimagined and expanded like this. (maybe even the co-op campaign from the PS2 port one day, seeing as there's a reference to it in Black Mesa, I think)
Tripmine studios are working on Opposing force remake named Operation Black Mesa and Blue shift remake named Guard duty . They are working on both from couple of years with their own version of the source engine ,their own assets etc. The game will be Operation Black Mesa and Guard duty will be like dlc to the main game i think . You can check their progress on moddb and also they have now steampage with their game, but realese date still its unknown .
As İlker said, Tripmine Studios' work is what you'd want to look into for the OpFor remake (they are also doing their own rendition of the Blue Shift remake). As for Decay (the PS2 port you are talking about), a group called PSR Digital is making their version of it called "Peer Review", which will support single player as well!
Really nice touch there with first warning shots at the first zombie, then non-lethal shots in his legs, and only then going for the kill!
Now I really wonder when exactly did Barney wake up in this version of Blue Shift. In my playthrough of the original BS he woke up around the end of "We've got Hostiles" and beginning of Blast Pit. Here, however, he wakes up around the end of Unforseen Consequences, if the EAS message at 23:10 doesn't loop.
I guess we'll get answers when the full expansion comes out.
And I love that detail with unfolding SPAS-12's stock! For me, a proud hater of HD models, this was an especially nice touch from devs xD
Glad you liked the characterization I gave Barney. Regarding timeline, I had originally thought it was around the same time as Office Complex as the same EAS message plays in both chapters, but then I realised it's mid-day when Barney goes up to the surface in this game whereas Office Complex would've been close to sunset as WGH comes right after. Perhaps Captive Freight will take place somewhere around that time as welll, unless the EAS message is just looping like you said.
Ditto on the SPAS-12 stock, I loved that animation
Speaking of time of day, Gearbox really screwed up with this detail in HL:BS. As I said, Barney wakes up there closer to sunset, and yet Captive Freight takes place during midday, but when he activates the focusing device in Xen it's already a middle of the night, according to Decay's last mission.
Two of my main complaints about the original Blue Shift were that it was too short and not especially detailed. If this chapter is an indication of what HECU have planned for the rest of the game, then it's on track to be a masterpiece. I mean they turned a pretty short and kind of lackluster chapter into an amazing survival horror slog. The first map especially is one of the creepiest maps in BM so far, and that's saying something. (F for the scientist who falls in the radioactive slime, that's an awful way to go). I have to give a special shout out to the ambience. The alarms, muffled screams and explosions, and sounds of the facility starting to crumble make for some top notch atmosphere. Even the Vorts manage to be pretty intimidating here. I was honestly pretty surprised when I heard that their new attacks are actually scripted (props to whoever made those scripts).
Anyway, can't wait to see what they do with Captive Freight. Great playthrough once again Nutella!
Thanks for the comment and support as always! I agree on how HECU Collective transformed this chapter into something more memorable than the original. The ambience that you pointed out is a definite highlight.
@SuperMarioFan 3001 Whatever happens, I'd gladly support it :) Guard Duty is also looking to be pretty cool
I have been waiting for this and it's as good as I expected. Always very good gameplay. Can't wait till they release chapter 4
I'm glad it was worth the wait! I can't wait for Captive Freight as well
I love you sexy nutella I had been watching your Alyx playthrough, you've brought in the essence of her character so well, plus thanks for adding all these trivia and time stamps in description
No problem. Glad you found them useful :)
I love how the Intercom is changed from the regular pre-disaster voice to the military one, indicating while Barney was down below in the canals, the military has arrived.
I love the changes of the scientist giving you his crowbar and that Barney handles it a bit differently than Gordon. It feels heavier with each swing closer to the wrench in OF rather than Gordon swinging it wildly as fast as he can.
Love the detail of how calhoun hesitates to shoot the first zombie, being a security guard who he could relate to, only before killing and being freaked out by the already dead headcrab and later not having any issues with killing zombies
Great stuff, as always. Haven’t played this (yet!) but I can tell they really did beef up a lot of the intensity of the original.
They did indeed, much like how Crowbar Collective upped the intensity in Unforeseen Consequences!
I feel the way the technician talk and "jokes" in the waste disposal area show he is so in shock he cannot process what really is going on. i was the line of "well this is coming out of my paycheck" that made me realize he is in shock. It could feel like a throw away joke but he says it without humor like he is totally serious about it, and it clicked to me that unlike the rest of the NPC you find he is way too calm, he simply cannot process what just happened in Black Mesa.
That's a good take. For me personally, I'm wondering if he just hasn''t processed the scale of the disaster. That or he's seen some shit in the past
@@Sexy_NutellaMy headcanon: This man has seen a resonance cascade before, either that or he went on to maintain Old Aperture.
54:50 Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated! 55:50 Quarantine lifted.
Wow this vid is awesome!!! Keep up the good work!!!!!
Thank you! Will do!
Hey my friend, how are u? Well, Callhoun is one of the most importants officer security in Black Mesa. He is best friend's Gordon, Rosenberg, Walter, Simmons, Eli Vance and Kleiner (from HL2 and episode 1).
Nice walkthrough. When u battle HECU in chapter 4, make them suffer, cause the soldiers killed all your colleagues security guards and scientists.
Thanks for the kind words and agreed. Barney is a badass
Viu o walkthrough todo desse canal? Acabei assistindo tudo, me viciei no estilo cinemático dele.
I think the area right at the end of the second map is when the HECU arrives, evident by the similarities between the High Security Materials Storage Area and the surface shelling you hear, although it can be the structural support systems failing.
Yeah, not sure when this chapter takes place but might be around that time.
I always thought the Original Blue Shift was overhated. However, it does have the benefit of not being as, deservedly, sacred as the original Half Life and allows for more experimentation and expansion, and it ironically, it has opened my eyes to see how much better the original Blue Shift could have been. This looks like it could easily rival the original Black Mesa in terms of quality and added content. This genuinely blows my mind with how much they added! I cannot wait to see more from them and you.
My nitpick, and it truly is one of the pettiest I've had, but I wish barney got a baton or nightstick instead of a crowbar. it would fit his role better and not crib Gordons weapon, although I do understand it could be to reference the crowbar he gives Gordon in the Sequel.
Yeah I feel better as the crowbar being "Gordon's thing" as its his trademark xD
In another blue shift remake in development called guard duty he uses a flashlight for a weapon
Barney's Reactions to Zombies was quite Realistic and Dreadful
Glad you thought so! Definitely tried to go for the horror approach on that first encounter.
Next, Chapter 4: Captive Freight out now
Working on it as we speak!
I like how the ambience of this chapter really tells you that everything is going to hell. You hear houndeyes, structural support beams creaking and shaking from what could be explosions. I think they could’ve immersed the player more by adding more sounds, like guards friendly firing scientists, the marines executing scientists, screams, and talking. Or, to give the illusion of less survivors as the game progresses, they could make it so that the further you go into the map, the less sounds you hear. Really cool if you think about it.
as always great video !
Thanks so much! :)
Remember when I said a lot of the expansion in Xen was based on Valve's unused ideas? This becomes especially apparent if you compare the concept sketches in HL2: Raising the Bar with such things as the swamp in Xen, the manufacturing plant in the grunt factory, the interconnectedness of the overall setting, & the chase sequence element to Gonarch's Lair.
i wonder if that poor security guard made it out, the one that helped us to the elavator 19:10
Replaying the original Blue Shift after this made me appreciate its smaller details that this expanded on all the more.
Thanx I was stuck in one part of the chapter.
"Outstanding!" -Black Mesa Scientist
Stupendous!!
Hey, cool to have you back, and a lenghty episode too :-) Have you maybe considered binding a console command to holster your weapon when using stuff like ladders, or interacting with the environment for some added realism? Not a huge deal, but really helps the immersion into the POV.
I've actually tried that before - the annoying part is that I have to rebind the command every time I reload a save. Given the numerous attempts I take to do each chapter, this became very cumbersome. I also tried to put it in the autoexec.cfg file but it didn't seem to work - if there is something I'm missing here I'll gladly take any advice on how to do it!
@@Sexy_Nutella I think the person to inquire would be our lord and savior - Ross Scott :-)
You can chack his email at Accuresd Farms / Contact section. He did reply to some of my emails in the past, and I'm sure that if there's a person who struggled more than anyone and paved the way for HL-related content, that would be him.
Anyway, thanks for replying to me! Keep up the great work and keep being awesome o/
@@luckylarry71 Ah yes, the lord himself haha. I'll see if I can get the holster to stick next time and will definitely reach out if I can't!
Good mod, my only real complaint is with the animations, I'm pretty sure some animations are moccapped and the others animated, Wich looks jarring during transitions, and I think the HECU voicelines are too mechanical. I also find it funny how you get smacked in the head with a crowbar yet take 0 damage.
I do appreciate the animations though, the Guard getting blown by the exhaust fan was very nice to see.
The woman scientist uses some male animations, so her arms and shoulders end up stretching during her scenes. They need to fix that :/
Don’t worry. The Captive Freight chapter and its update will improve most of our hand-keyed animations to a new remade ones or update the old versions of them
@@atlev Lol definitely, will fix that =)
@@lilpif337 Barney VS the HECU Military 😎
Wow. They really extended this compared to the original Blue Shift. I wonder how this version will differ to Guard Duty (when it comes out)?
I'm excited to see Guard Duty's version as well!
@@Sexy_Nutella Apparently they're replacing Barney's crowbar with a flashlight. Can't wait to bash Vortigaunts in the face with a flashlight in a steel hall!
Love the way when you first encounter the zombie you hesitated
Glad you liked it - I intended to convey Calhoun's confusion and terror there
rewatching cause new episode came out
great acting at 2:50 and 3:30, i can see the headcrab hatred forming right there
Glad you liked that! And yes, Barney's trauma from headcrabs indeed started from there ;)
I just want to say how much I am loving your playthrough of this mod.
All the little background noises that are going on while you're doing things makes it really feel like the building and the entire place is coming apart.
Also what music track was that playing at 54:30?
Glad you like it and thanks as always for the comment :) That track is not released officially but I believe it is a remix of "Meta-Collide" from the previous chapter
@@Sexy_Nutella thank you very very much looking forward to your next play through..
@@timebomb42 Here's hoping Captive Freight comes out soon so we can get our hands on it!
@@Sexy_Nutella part of me hopes that, but then the other part of me says take their time that way they can get it done right.
@@timebomb42 Oh for sure, I'm sure they're taking the time needed to polish it up :)
17:07 RIP Lady scientist
58:47 this guy has a ridiculously large head
That lady scientist death shook me - another innocent life lost due to the incident :(
If the creature invasion was JUST a Headcrab infestation then maybe Black Mesa would've had a chance, but the Vortigaunts and other aliens made it hopeless.
Yeah, the vorts are shown to be insanely strong and probably overwhelmed the security forces
Your version of Barney has been through hell
First he tries to kill himself in the lobby and then is trapped in a falling elevator and now he's witnessing his colleagues die in front of him
Haha, so my intent in Chapter 02 wasn't to suggest he's trying to kill himself but just that he likes screwing around. Definitely not his day though by any means xD
ONE HOUR!? A one hour chapter!? Come ooooooooooon!!!!! You're making it really hard for me to wait longer to actually play BM:BS. This is a pointless comment, but you may have realised by now I do love commenting on your shit, haha. I'll come back to this video eventually to actually watch it. Solid job as always, I'm sure! 👍
I was going to split it but figured it's been a long enough wait that I can probably just wrap up everything and get it all out at once haha. Thanks for the comment as always and hopefully you find your way back here after you've had a chance to play it :)
1:09, 1:50, 2:12, 15:53, 15:56, 15:57, 23:01, 23:04, 27:42, 27:44
No harsh feelings to the Houndeyes
Felt bad killing those poor buggers :(
I just realized that Otis survived the Black Mesa Incident
you should do a playthrough of stanley parable would be interested to hear your thoughts on it
I'll definitely have to check it out - heard a new version was released on Steam recently
"Great Scott!"
Actually, I'm Irish.
Have you considered playing Entropy: Zero or the sequel, now that EZ2 is out? It would be interesting to see how you play Bad Cop...
It would be, I agree - I just have to find time for it and unfortunately I don't have much of that right now to complete two full playthroughs :(
3:51 this time this guard gets headcrabbed
and when you kill the headcrab on his head, his head is in bad shape
I find it funny how certain NPCs care about their pay more than their or colleagues life.
Excellent gun safety on Barney's part.
Yeah, you can really tell how trained he is with firearms compared to Gordon!
If only it was possible for the modders to fix the bad ai in Black Mesa in addition to remaking Blue Shift. It’s really cool how they gave the Vortigaunts a bunch of new powers. If anything they new powers are really mild compared to what they can do in lore.
One thing I’d love to see (but probably won’t happen) would be for them to reimagine those Xen caves you crouch through as an Antlion den. That would add a little bit more enemy variety, and be a cool change of pace.
Yeah, good point on the Vorts being even more powerful than what is shown here - I am reminded that the freed Vort in HL:A managed to take down a substation without her assistance with its comrades. Super deadly.
If they do an Antlion den in Xen that'd be so cool!
If you type sv_cheats 1, and then follow it with impulse 200, you can holster your weapon. Enter it again to bring your weapon back up. It's great for immersion and when you're in the same room as some NPCs. You can even bind it! For example, I type:
sv_cheats 1
bind "x" "Impulse 200"
I was struggling to find a bind that wouldn't reset everytime I reloaded the save, luckily I was able to modify the config file to do so. Definitely does help with immersion as you've said, and I'm looking forward to using it in Chapter 4 :)
A couple of things that I wish we had in this (absolutely top tier) game:
- I think Barney should have a different weapon to a crowbar. Maybe a truncheon? Maybe he gets the crowbar after he sees Gordon dumped into the garbage crusher.
- The game settings have an option to turn the HUD off for realism. I kind of like this, but I wish there was a midpoint option between having it off or on. Like a "Press X to check HUD" mechanic, as if Barney's got a little readout on his wrist that's connected to his vest.
- A little bit of exposition talking about how the security guards recently had new bulletproof vests sent out a couple weeks prior that are powered kind of like a HEV suit but aren't rechargeable. Could have it as an exchange between two security guards which is meta-commentary on the mod itself: "Why would they even send them out if they haven't finished the design?" "You know companies these days, always rushing to get things out before they're done... I'm sure there'll be some attachment sent out in the next few weeks that fixes it"
This was brilliantly done. I ended up watching the whole thing lol.
11:08 It's Gordon Freeman's brother, John Freeman!
WEPON
I would like to see this is part of Black Mesa DLC, I definite will buy it
It's free right now but I agree, would definitely spend money to purchase it! Haha
If you ever want to try any GoldSrc mods, I recommend you check out that Alpha 0.52 GoldSrc port.
hello 🤗 we miss you and your gameplays 🌷
Thanks for sticking around and for the support :)
I hate killing Vorts. They are so cool in later games of the timeline. Crowbar Collective doing another great job.
HECU Collective made this mod, unless you're talking about the way they're portrayed in the base game :) i do agree, they seem much more like unwilling slaves here compared to the original
@@Sexy_Nutella My mistake HECU Collective. TY for setting me straight.
@@brandonb1681 No problem at all!
I'm the kind of guy that would wash his hands and just about everything if I were to swim through a river of shit. Or get a tiny amount on my hands or something. Then die as I'm washing my hands.
Barney most definitely would've gotten infected from that lmao
8:56 Will the mod devs help me pay for my therapist bills after witnessing this?
Must be one of the worst ways to die aside from zombification. Poor guy
hey quick question, does this mod add attakcs for the vortigaunts? i dont remember that bouncy granade attack and the charged one that destroys doors...
Yes its add
Yeah, this mod adds more attacks for the vorts.
18:12 He is the destroyer of Door's.
I would love to see Hecu Collective revisit Original Black Mesa because they really have a vision that I like more than the Crowbar Collective one even if I LOOOVE Black Mesa. It's a bit hard to explain but i really like their level design and Ambiant work !
And the interaction between everything in the world is more beliveable !
The level of detail and all the optional stuff they managed to cram into Chapter 2 is seriously impressive. Can't wait for Captive Freight!
Ah are you going to upload a version of Captive Freight? I basically consider your run throughs canon, but I understand you might have other things going on in your life and if so I will watch someone else's.
Absolutely, gonna start production this week. I am hoping to crush it out as soon as I can but as you know these things take time - hopefully I will have something substantial in a week's time!
@@Sexy_Nutella thank you, I'll wait!
Are you going to do a let's play of the Entropy Zero games?
I do plan to! :)
Wow this looks amazing!! Looks like it'll be a lot longer than the original too. I did a permadeath run of the original a while back and the whole video is only an hour and a half!! Haha. I don't even play particularly fast so that's pretty short. How can I play this now? Is it on steam?
Easily 5x the length of the original! Yup you can find it on Steam, though the install instructions are pretty confusing haha
@@Sexy_Nutella I'm sure I'll figure it out. Thanks man. Always exciting to see you uploading again 💪
@@gordonneverdies No problem, good to hear from you again :)
good good morning What version of Black Mesa does this version of Blue_Shift mod stick with?
since several versions of half life black mesa came out