Category Archives: Mod
Once You Go Black (Mesa)
So faithful, they even worked in the lambda.
This is going to be biased.
I went into Black Mesa with a heaping dose of skepticism, because mocking up a few nostalgic screenshots seems like one of those things that anyone can do, though when I say “anyone” I’m referring to lots of people other than me. How could a mod team recreate one of gaming’s most seminal moments? How could a pack of amateurs capture the terror of the Blast Pit, the pacing nightmare of Apprehension, or, crud, even the slow-burn tram-ride intro?
Well, they did it. Mostly. It’s thirteen of Half-Life’s seventeen chapters (the rest are coming later, presumably), recast into a completely free mod that anyone can play — again, for free — so long as you’re willing to peruse some download links and install Steam. For free.
Escape from Chernarus!
Outside of our prison, Thomas and Pariah scavenge for weapons while I stand watch.
In the scenario Escape Chernarus for ARMA 2, the United States is planning a big old barbecue in Chernarus, and invites have been delivered to local insurgents via the usual special recon teams—one of which includes me (The Innocent) and Space-Biff! buddies Pariah and Thomas/Alikchi. Unfortunately, the dictator (or whatever) does not approve of the upcoming capitalist festivities, and has had us locked up. Escaping our prison should be no trouble, but the real question is: can we escape Chernarus? It’s 225 km² (the same map used in the Day Z mod), and we’ll have the entire Chernarussian Army harassing our every move.
Day Z: Solving the Bandit Problem
Searching for food along the coast.
Last time I took a hike in Day Z, the hot new mod for ARMA 2: CO, I went looking for buddy Digital Pariah only to end up out of ammunition and trapped on a rooftop with a very agitated zombie. As it turns out, I was incredibly lucky to die of mastication/falling, as most rookies are killed by pesky bandits, who prey on the weak for their Makarov bullets and tins of beans.
So for my next outing, my goal was not only to avoid major populated areas (and thus, zombies), but to figure out some way to deter the bandits that stalk the shoreline of Chernarus. I think I’ve found a solution.
Day One in Day Z
My humble beginnings in Day Z.
When I came to, I was on the shore of Chernarus—225 square kilometers of zombies, bandits, and soviet architecture—and found that I’d lost all my gear, apart from a puny Makarov that I couldn’t remember carrying before becoming stranded, and a canteen of water, some bandages, and a tin of marginally-edible brown. This is Day Z, a mod in alpha for ARMA 2: Combined Operations, and in traditional zombie-narrative fashion, this is the story of how I died.
SPACE-BIFF! 