Half-Life: Interlude mod

Hi everyone,

After (many) years of silence, I'm happy to announce the mod is back in full production. As usual for a mod with high ambitions, this project saw some serious delays while I got my head around the several factors required to see this project through.

My plans for Interlude are special, and I've gotten closer and closer over the years to being able to fulfil its potential.

While I did have the necessary skills in Hammer to design and script all of the planned levels, I had to spend a few more years sharpening up my game theory, design, texturing, 3D modelling, audio and music skills to a standard I felt the mod deserved. I also feel I can say my level design skills greatly improved over that time as well, and several chapters have seen considerable refinement.

I want the mod to feel very authentically Half-life and Valve-esque, and as such I have spent many months playing through the entirety of the series again and again on repeat, researching and reading developer interviews, finding articles and developer talks, etc. As a result, I have created a much more robust design document and a personal understanding of what makes Half-Life levels tick, and beyond that what makes the general experience so special and close to our hearts. I still play through the games often, as to keep that feeling fresh.

The mod now has a serious collection of custom art, audio and music that not only feels correctly Half-Life, but is also appropriate to the new locations Gordon will travel through on his journey.

I am now also working on this project full-time, as it has matured considerably, and I am confident it will reach release when it's done. I repeat. I am working on this full-time. Having set up an office, this mod is being worked on like a full-time job, with closed playtests, constant refinement and improvement.

Recent closed playtests have been very encouraging and I'm happy to announce a Lost Coast-length demo will be available to the community soon™.

The mod has daily playthroughs, where it goes through a design process called The Cabal. As I watch the game being played, notes are made on what's working, what needs tweaking and what simply needs to go.

Every facet of the design process is scrutinised here, including level design, animation, audio, music, and so on.

This process has been brutal, but hugely rewarding as I've seen the mod come together feeling much more polished and enjoyable.

There will be more updates soon, where I will share some music and footage of Interlude as well as an official website. But for now, I must keep working.

Thank you,

PegaXing