We've officially made it to log entry number 50! I would celebrate that fact if it didn't mean that it actually took (almost) a year to get this project done. :D Oh well, it is what it is!
Let's have a look at THE (truncated) LIST, shall we? (Sorry Djigallag, but I swear it's slightly different than last time!)
Done:
✓ All three parts are completely playable and run on Spirit of Half-Life.
✓ Explosions, buttons, doors, pushables, breakables, footsteps and trains for each part look and/or sound as they should.
✓ New weapon and monsters: Sword of Sadism, Victim Marine, Gray Slave, Dragon
✓ Fixed over 100 various issues across all three parts, including camera issues, game breakers, lighting troubles, Half-Life menu woes, flickering textures and textures in general.
✓ Replaced all copyrighted art (~30 textures)
✓ Approved by Valve as modification for Half-Life
✓ New mod-selection map that connects all three parts, including training levels.
Left to do:
✏ Replace all copyrighted music (15/17)
✏ New easter eggs ^O_O^
✏ Prepare release (review by Valve, store front, etc.)
You might have noticed that the number of copyrighted music rose from 12 to 17. I simply forgot a few instances, and wasn't sure about others. But honestly, it will feel a lot better once all the copyrighted stuff is gone, not only for my own conscience (as well as legal status), but also for people who are going to stream this (two people have announced that they will) or make a video out of it. Nobody likes to deal with copyright strikes. And while it will feel a bit off to long-time players, I'd still say it's a win in the end.
It definitely was a lot of fun making all this new music and I learned many new things along the way (for examples, two features in Samplitude Studio that were always right there in the UI, but I never really noticed them until now xD).
In any case, here are the changes from the past few days:
* I've made a new song replacement for Somos in HQ1, since the old one was a reversed sample of a Mission Impossible remix. I used a similar melody in the beginning and expanded on it in the second half. You can find the latest version attached to this post and a screenshot of it at the top.
* The loop I used as background music for Somos in HQ1 also contained atmospheric noise and a whispering voice that ominously said "Halfquake" every once in a while. I remade that from scratch and also put it into the fight.
* The 20 sounds in the start area are now finalized, adjusted for timing and decent randomization. Took a lot longer than I thought it would, but since it's the first area the player sees, I want to make sure they feel welcome (before dying a couple hundred times). :D
* The "Sadism Express" advertisment in Patience now plays Lupusrex' new voice recording and a song by Vino. Lupusrex reportedly did 11 takes for the line to make sure it's up to snuff!
* I've had more translation offers, and I will explore various possibilities (even if only mod support) in the next few days. I still can't promise anything, because I'm not sure how far I can take this feature without extensive help. I'm not putting it on The List because it still counts as a nice-to-have (or rather really-nice-to-have).
* I've started making a replacement for the Blueberry Hill sample, it's a nice change of pace!
* I talked to Valve again and I'll submit the game for review as soon as all the copyrighted music is gone. It's possible to push updates in the meantime, so I can focus on remaining issues and easter eggs during the review process, which is good!
The remaining 10% of this project will still use up a lot of time, so I hope you're all prepared for many more of these log entries. :D
I hope this message finds you all well!
To be continued... (<