Half Life 2 Mod Minerva Gets Definitive Steam Release

[Karloff]

Half Life 2 Mod Minerva Gets Definitive Steam Release


This is the mod that got Adam Foster a job at Valve, and now it gets a Director's Cut release.

You may notice a new Half Life 2 product release on Steam, for free, later today, and wonder what Minerva: Metastasis is all about. Well, it's about Adam Foster getting a job, for one thing; this is that same mod that, back in 2008, persuaded Valve Foster was a great find and - though Minerva has been released into the wild before - now it's getting a Director's Cut edition. Take a look at Valve Time's trailer, and you may see what Valve saw: Foster's a very talented fella, with a knack for putting together exceptionally clever maps.

There won't be new content, Foster says, but there will be "tweaked visuals, bug fixes, better puzzles and all kinds of subtle improvements." Lots of polish, in other words, to make this the definitive Minerva experience. Minerva, for those who haven't played this mod before, is named after your support character, whose voice over the radio gives you direction as well as a bit of backstory. You'll be investigating Combine activity on a mysterious island; an activity otherwise known as Observe, Reveal, Destroy.

"I design the story and places," Foster told RockPaperShotgun [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2007/10/19/interview-mister-minerva/] once upon a time, "then wrap the gameplay around those." If that design philosophy sounds like something you'd enjoy - or if you just want the definitive Minerva nestled in your Steam library like a contented cat - then today's your lucky day.

Source: PC Gamer [http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/30/half-life-2-mod-minerva-getting-directors-cut-steam-release/]


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[Khravv]

I remember playing this mod, It was very well done and I enjoyed it greatly. I would definitely like to see the more polished version, though I wonder exactly how much is going to be done with it.
Is this going to be a "smooth out the occasional rough spot and give it some fancier coding" or is it going to be a "give everything a fresh layer of paint."

 

[fix-the-spade]

Firing up Steam to get this again, I'll be hitting refresh like a man possessed.

I'd forgotten about Minerva, thanks for jogging my memory.

 

[TheBlackKnight]

I join in on the praising Minerva band-wagon. If you haven't played this before I highly recommend this. Note that you need around 2 to 4 hours to completes this probably.

 

[Yeager942]

I'm very excited for this. For those who never played Minerva, I highly recommend it. Excellently designed mod with a very interesting story. It felt like a like a lost chapter of Half Life 2

 

[thiosk]

Yeah,
Minerva is really good.

Play it.

 

[GraceTveit]

Oi, I'm hearing a lot of people say "Play it, it's good", but not explaining *why* it's so good.

Level Design.

The level design invokes more of a linear-ish metroidvania than just a straight corridor shooter. The levels play out more like a spiral which allows the designer to pack more in them then if they were just straight corridors. It's a much more dense and richly populated map than a lot of other source games/mods.

it's gooooood.

 

[Tilted_Logic]

This mod was amazing. For how short it was it pulled off the story and environments exceptionally well. Was so looking forward to him continuing it, but this is definitely acceptable. Can't wait to pester all my friends to try it without the hassle (yeah we're all lazy!) of messing around in steam folders.

 

[itezel2]

Holy shit! this mod might be the best thing i've ever played.You walk around in it and...you can feel the SOUL of the game. And to top it it off it has amazing music, i mean, listen to it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGCJrOO4II

freaking amazing stuff.

 

[Undomesticated Equine]

Well it is out now at http://store.steampowered.com/app/235780/?snr=1_7_15__13
good luck installing it. There is only play button and when you click it steam freezes for a second and after that i does nothing at all. So good job valve.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Oi, I'm hearing a lot of people say "Play it, it's good", but not explaining *why* it's so good.

Level Design.

Very much this. A lot of mapmakers will come up with a handful of cool encounters or areas and then connect them together with relatively bland and lifeless corridors; Minerva's set up much differently, with a lot of backtracking and revisiting (only with significant changes and usually new enemies to face). It makes the locations as well as the gameplay feel more organic and believable.

 

[Elemental]

Seems like everyone has a hard on for this... Too bad I can't play this since I don't have Episode One

Oh well..

 

[rodneyy]

thanks for the heads up never knew that this mod was out there, it really is good.
if you liked half life you will love this, nice little story, as has been said the level design is great.

also it is hard, i was playing through thinking im doing ok, then i go and check the difficulty settings assuming it had taking over the hard setting from when i play normall half life. nope it was on easy, i dont need to play on easy i think i might have to reload a few more times, i get rushed by 3 guys shortly after i change it, i go from full health and about half suit to about 20 health by the time they are dead i reload a few times and the same thing keeps happening. i turned it back down to easy to finish the story after that.

but even on easy setting it was fun and still felt challenging, i think might just move up to normall next time as its not that long can afford to play it through a few times.

they did right in getting him to work for them and hope to see his influence in game to come