Subscribe to download
Escape From Black Mesa 'Lights Out' (lb_comp3)

So far this mod is not that bad but a little bland to say the least. Sure you just walk around, find the items, and get out. With no lights, no enemies, and no sounds, it feels like a creepypasta moment there. And that's what got to me, psychological horror. If you were trying to make a horror map, this is far a very good one because of no jumpscares, no threat, only your own brain that is making scary things up. But what strikes me odd is why there are zombie sounds but there are no zombies which kinda ruins the silent atmosphere a little bit.

With this came in mind a King Half-Life Mod Idea, its about that the incident made all lights go out from the black mesa, and you have to survive with just flashlight, also no enemies. Slowly the loneliness and creepiness starts to get to you and mod makes it's point.

But in terms of design, there wasn't really anything to this one. You would've benefitted from making the spaces considerably smaller, but filling them with more things to do. More navigational obstacles beyond just vent crawling. Less blank spaces that offer nothing. More puzzles and more things to do, so it feels a bit less like a walking simulator. Also, automatic sliding doors that open downards!? That one really baffled me! I kept getting stuck on them as I was trying to go through them! Additionally, the darkness doesn't offer much if there isn't any feeling of threat within it. Nice effort, I think to improve this one - more of a design mindset is needed! Half-Life wastes no time or space.

(I'm Chon, Lead Level Designer at Crowbar Collective and a judge for the competition!)

I had mixed feelings about this submission. I thought you handled the darkened atmosphere and the feel of the spaces well in this one. It was very unique in that regards, relative to the other submissions.

(Hey there - I'm Kralich, the organisation lead for this competition. I'll be leaving a little paragraph on each entry with my notes and opinion in lieu of posting on Discord given the nature of this competition.)

JUDGE'S NOTES: This entry had an acceptable atmosphere - the zombie yelling was a little cheesy - with visuals that served the purpose and were nice in some places like the little huts. Little details told a few stories like the HEV suit with blood in the case. I think this entry was mostly lacking personality, some polish, and some additional details. No actual threat - especially in a dark environment like this that often loops back on itself - was a missed opportunity, and that left the map feeling a little bland as a result. It's not really enough to just have the player run around collecting objects in the dark - there has to be something else for an entry to stand out.

thanks ill keep those in mind for next time

make sure the vending machines work. people ( i mean me) hate it when there is a vending machine and it does not work.

12 you could add details of what happened. in areas. for example add a dead security guard with some dead head crabs around him. in front of a blocked door. to make it seem like his last stand there. 13 you could add a cafeteria or break rooms and vending machines in some places to make it seem more of a work environment while also adding some light to the otherwise dark place. 14 add some alarms blaring in places where there could be. like in the area that seems to have a specimen escaped.

11. add a sound to indicate an objective complete like electric spark. and wonderful job using door opening sound to indicate a new area has been unlocked. with the unused sentry guns you could add an area that you need to avoid the sentries to get to an objective and avoid them going back to deliver the objective.

9. once an area has been complete make it light up so player can tell that area is clear. 10 have the boxes that are in the room where the valve comes into use as a prop static instead of prop physics so players don't think that they have to stack boxes to get to the area that the valve unlocks and feel like they got stolen time and made their intellect was made fun of.
hopefully those are some things that can help fix this map. i may have more things to say but this should give you a heads start.