MINERVA: Episodic, Single-Player Half-Life 2
It's been a long time... - posted by Cargo Cult on Wednesday June 16 2010
How have you been? I've been really busy being dead... You know, after you murdered me?
Hello, you either have Javascript turned off or an old version of Macromedia's Flash Player. Get the latest Flash player.
So, back to fixing MINERVA in my now-existent spare time... ;-)
Article Comments (now closed)
2. Alright
Posted by chiasaur11 at 6:36AM, Wednesday June 16 2010
Foster mapping, Pinkerton writing...
I'm getting a new rig if I have to get a job killing puppies. This thing is going to be worth every penny.
3. idolatry
Posted by tartley at 9:47AM, Wednesday June 16 2010
@vecima, Hey, what's that now? Are you really a moaning about perceived imperfections in this fine young man's Sunday afternoon project from what, three years ago now? Or have I misinterpreted? Um, didn't he slave away years of his life over that world-class experience and then give it away so we could all enjoy it - for free? Less with the moaning! More with the gratitude and congratulations!
4. Wheatly?
Posted by fuzz at 12:27PM, Thursday June 17 2010
From ArsTechnica:
"We saw a 15-minute video of gameplay footage showing what we have to look forward to. The new additions to the game? A robot friend named Wheatley, who seems to be a slightly friendlier version of GLaDOS. He's just as bonkers and just as twisted for spending so much time in isolation, but he's working with you to escape, and he speaks with an adorable British accent. (We were told that the audio we were hearing was simply a Valve employee performing a test voice, which is usually thrown away, but it seems as if this one would be kept through the final product. That would be a wise move, as both the writing and the voice work felt great, full of life and character.)"
So who's voice was that then?
5. @Fuzz
Posted by Mighty_Matt at 4:19PM, Thursday June 17 2010
From playing with commentary turned on there's definatly atleast one Brittish guy working at the Valve, don't know his name or role though. Either that or it's Adam!
Also Wheatley is where my university campus is, i feel touched by this.
6. RE: idolatry
Posted by vecima at 4:45PM, Thursday June 17 2010
@tartley,
I wasn't moaning at all. Adam said he was going back to "fixing" MINERVA in his spare time. I was suggesting that he let someone else worry about the "grunt work" of fixing the existing mod, and instead focus on creating something new.
That said, I wouldn't blame Adam if OOT was cancelled now... working on source stuff 9 - 5 has to leave the prospects of working on source stuff during your free time a bit less appealing.
7. Awesome Trailer
Posted by Pyro at 8:59PM, Friday June 18 2010
It really was though.
I still wonder what happened to "suspend until E3," though.
8. Ah, E3
Posted by chiasaur11 at 3:52AM, Saturday June 19 2010
Cripes, who knows?
Big, confusing mess, that.
9. Voice of the Balls
Posted by Cargo Cult at 7:17AM, Saturday June 19 2010
It's not me, it's fellow British co-worker Richard Lord:
http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/06/portal-2-wheatley/
The internet, having never heard an East Midlands accent before, promptly swoons and sets up petitions in the hope that the temporary voice is kept:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/RLordWheatley
(My own accent is peculiarly non-regional. Something to do with a Geordie mother, a Scottish father and growing up in the East Midlands before perambulating off to Europeland...)
10. Richard Lord
Posted by Mikel_S at 4:27AM, Wednesday June 23 2010
Is there a place where I can actually hear what he sounds like?
Anywho... have fun.
11. In response to the above comment....
Posted by Someone, you don't know who, at 2:00PM, Saturday June 26 2010
Go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5THiN8szSKM
It's part one of three videos.
12. ...It worked!
Posted by Mikel_S at 11:54PM, Monday June 28 2010
I launched the game from level 3, and was able to play all the way through. I then launched it from level 2, and the game didn't crash. I then launched it from level 1, but chose to run through the blasted-in door when you hit the final security button, causing that crash. I'm going to relaunch and play from level one, going the long way, and seeing if it works.
13. Ex-pats
Posted by fuzz at 1:21PM, Tuesday June 29 2010
Good to see you've at least got a friendly voice in the office. I think the whole lack of accent thing is quite common now. I grew up in a pretty rural bit of gloucestershire, but my usual speaking accent is pretty generic, (unless I want show off when I bring out moi proper faaaaarrmers accent).
14. If you guys like Wheatley's accent so much
Posted by Pyro at 8:52PM, Tuesday June 29 2010
...then join the Wheatley appreciation group:
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/wheatley
Cuz, you know, he's awesome.
15. Then why don't you marry it?
Posted by chiasaur11 at 1:03AM, Wednesday June 30 2010
Wheatley's accent and Chell, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
(Sorry. So sorry.)
16. 3rd shot...
Posted by locworks at 10:17AM, Tuesday July 6 2010
in the teaser: glorious homage (or beautiful coincidence). See the fiery aftermath of "Oops, my finger didn't slip at all and you're still alive" in metastasis_4b.
17. Hmm
Posted by Pyro at 7:09PM, Tuesday July 6 2010
The only similarity I see is the burning debris falling, which is a simple atmospheric effect and helps to set the mood of a destroyed, yet still (somewhat) intact facility.
More of a coincidence than anything.
18. A beautiful coincidence...
Posted by locworks at 9:36PM, Tuesday July 6 2010
is sometimes all it takes to make me happy.
19. Broken Minerva
Posted by Mikel_S at 8:00AM, Sunday July 18 2010
I just read something about an "additionalcontentID" in the gameinfo.txt file that may have something to do with fixing mods broken by the engine update. It goes after the SteamAppId number, and in the example I saw, it was set to 420. Here's straight from the gameinfo.txt.
"
FileSystem
{
SteamAppId 218
ToolsAppId 211
AdditionalContentID 420
SearchPaths
{
Game |gameinfo_path|.
Game |all_source_engine_paths|ep2
Game |all_source_engine_paths|episodic
Game |all_source_engine_paths|hl2
}
}
"
20. Re: Broken Minerva
Posted by Sortie at 12:38PM, Sunday July 18 2010
That would be completely irrelevant for MINERVA: Metastasis, as it doesn't use Episode Two content at all. Mounting Ep1 content instead (App 318 or 380, if I recall correctly) would be a better idea. I did a lot of research on this when fixing my mod, "AdditionalContentID" is not supported by Steam. It is a little feature in the current SDK Codebase that allows you to mount additional content. Steam, however, does not recognize it and will allow you to launch mods without regard to it. I don't know if the Source SDK Base 2007 stock .dll's recognize it either, or if you are required to build your own .dll's to launch a mod.
Either way, this might be entirely unneeded. Valve is releasing a free game and a SDK tomorrow. I suspect this enables support for Source SDK Base 2009 and is some kind of answer to the Unreal Development Kit.
21. Portal 2/How is Minerva broken?
Posted by Nirdian at 11:31PM, Thursday July 29 2010
Yay! First comment on the blag of my favorite modder (and basically the creator of one of the two mods I ever DL'd :P).
Anyweh, I seriously can't wait for Portal 2, it looks amazing. I also decuded that it must use a ridiculously improved Source engine (those graphics are... amazing, wow... just wow...). And Wheatley has the awesomest voice I've ever heard in any game (they should totaly keep him).
And what was all this fuss about Minerva not working anymore? Can it no longer be fused with the HL2 files because of the Steam UI update (I actually haven't been able to find the game's program files since that update, TBH.) Or is there another problem?
22. Broken Minerva
Posted by fuzz at 10:49AM, Friday July 30 2010
It's not the Steam UI update that's broken Minerva, it's the recent update to the Source SDK, (this is the 'toolkit' that modders use to create mods based on the source engine).
In simple terms, where the mod says 'over here is a flat layer of Water with This colour and This transparency', Valve have changed the engine so it expects to be told the transparency before the colour, so all the water end up looking weird.
(that's just a made up example, but it's similar to to that, much more complicated of course).
Adam is still working on the update/fix, so we just have to wait patiently, or we could just rant and scream that something we paid no money for isn't working.
23. Mod Issues in General
Posted by Booster at 9:48PM, Friday July 30 2010
This might seem like a silly question, but I am also having problems with MINERVA - not problems in game, but problems opening the game period. Every time I try to open the mod (as well as a couple other mods, Research and Development among them), it instead launches HL2: Episode 1, just the basic game. It acts like the mod doesn't exist. Any suggestions?
24. Re: Mod Issues in General
Posted by Nirdian at 11:04PM, Friday July 30 2010
Huh... funny. I had a similar problem with Someplace Else, except... weirder...
You see, every time I died (and I'd die a lot), the mod wouldn't revert to a checkpoint, but instead load into the test chamber after the Resonance Cascade in the original Half Life. That stuff was wierd...
(Might have had something to do with the fact that my HL was germanized... :/ )
25. Re: Mod issues in general
Posted by Pyro at 6:32PM, Tuesday August 3 2010
That's caused by a lot of autosaves, or apparently them not working. Just press Quick Save (F6) a lot and you should be fine.
As for the First one, you should look into all the community fixes and blah blah blah... too lazy to dig up any links.
26. Minerva
Posted by Świrek at 7:16PM, Friday August 13 2010
Minerva. :) . I made fanart for this mod, my vision of re-programmed soldier in HEV suit.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9228/minervva2.jpg
27. Re: Minerva
Posted by Sortie at 10:43PM, Friday August 13 2010
Dude, that's some really sweet fanart. I really like it, keep it up! The style is simple yet expressive, and the quote is brilliantly chosen.
28. RE: Minerva
Posted by kast at 1:16AM, Sunday August 15 2010
Woh, that's fucked up in a real cool way.
29. Re: Minerva
Posted by Pyro at 11:52PM, Wednesday August 18 2010
That's some really cool, albeit very grotesque fanart, but I always imagined him to be wearing a helmet. I mean, with a head like that, it only makes sense.
30. It really has
Posted by Mikel_S at 6:29PM, Saturday August 28 2010
I keep checking back here... I just love this site for no apparent reason, it just calls to me. Maybe, someday in the distant future we will see the next chapter. But until then, I can wait patiently, enjoying life.
31. The Might
Posted by KAstarkis.novatek at 6:32PM, Saturday August 28 2010
We were weak, when they came.
They destroyed, and they maimed.
All that, which we built.
Was reduced, to mere silt...
This is how it starts...
Struggle, after fight...
Some gave in, to their might...
A long, couple years.
Full of pain, full of tears...
This is how it goes...
All our homes, our whole world.
To chaos, we were hurled.
All hope, gone away.
It's the end, of our day...
This is how it ends.
There. Is. No Hope.
This is how it went.
The world was doomed to chaos, no hope to ever recover.
Nothing to be done. No way to fight. No way to win.
On-ly to lose.
Or so it seemed!
But you stood, through the fight.
Standing fast, holding tight.
But most, had lost hope.
No reason, left to cope...
You are how it starts.
You rallied, much support,
From all over, the world court.
You fought, and they died.
But today, we won't cry...
You are how it goes.
We all watched, supported,
As you worked, and thwarted.
Layer, and blockade,
On your way, with your blade...
You are how it ends.
You. Are. Our hope.
You are how it went...
The world was doomed to chaos, no hope to ever recover.
Nothing to be done. No way to fight. No way to win.
On-ly to lose.
Or so it seemed!
We stood up, you took charge.
We were scared, by and large.
But still, we followed,
Allthough some, still wallowed.
We are how it starts.
Through our pain, and our loss,
A message, got accross.
This world, it is ours.
We all fought, broke the bars...
We are how it goes.
One last blow, left to strike.
It just seemed, so dreamlike...
Our gun, made of will,
Shot a blast, oh so shrill...
We are how it ends.
We. Are. Our hope.
We are how it went.
The world was doomed to chaos, no hope to ever recover.
Nothing to be done. No way to fight. No way to win.
On-ly to lose.
Or so it seemed!
This is wrong, you were wrong, we were wrong. All were wrong.
There was hope, all along, only blocked, by ourselves.
Together we can start.
Together we can go.
Together we can fight.
And together we will prevail!
---------------
Final verse pending.
Copyright 2010 Kurtis Astarkis, CEO Novatek, Inc.
32. Re: The Might
Posted by Pyro at 4:22AM, Wednesday September 1 2010
Nice song there. Though, I didn't bother reading all of it. Heh.
33. Unofficial Metastasis Patch
Posted by Pyro at 5:58PM, Monday September 6 2010
http://www.moddb.com/mods/minerva/downloads/minerva-fix-v4-for-may-2010-update
Someone finally did it, but personally I'll be waiting for Adam to do it.
34. art
Posted by Świrek at 7:46AM, Tuesday September 7 2010
ok, [URL=http://img718.imageshack.us/i/minervva2.jpg/][IMG]http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/9228/minervva2.th.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]
You can edit it if you want.
35. Minerva Patch
Posted by Lewk at 4:18AM, Thursday September 9 2010
Yeah, I'm curious as to when Adam will release the patch. I've been waiting eagerly for it so I can play through it once again.
36. :)
Posted by Świrek at 3:57PM, Thursday September 9 2010
http://www.digart.pl/zoom/5699236/Minerva_-_Szkic.html I'm start doing second fanart.
37. Bishock 2
Posted by fuzz at 9:39AM, Friday September 10 2010
So, aparently there's some DLC out for Bioshock 2 (I've only played the first one so far). It's all about the central computer of Rapture, and the name?
Minerva's Den.
38. Sketch
Posted by Świrek at 11:21PM, Saturday September 11 2010
Fast sketch for new fanart
http://www.digart.pl/zoom/5706925/Minerva-Moj_maly_zdrajco.html
40. RE: Sketch
Posted by kast at 12:14PM, Monday September 13 2010
Good work, Świrek. You've captured the sense of oppression prevalent throughout MINERVA, and inspired me to go play it. Again.
41. City 44 as seen...
Posted by locworks at 2:47PM, Wednesday September 15 2010
...by a Polish artist? It made my day.
42. Remember that Portal 2 ARG?
Posted by Pyro at 4:12AM, Monday September 27 2010
http://portalwiki.net/index.php/Chemical_Analysis
I have no idea what they're talking about, but you can't deny the significance of MINERVA.
Or Dmitri Mendeleev, you know.
43. City 44
Posted by Świrek at 5:29PM, Saturday October 9 2010
another fast sketch 4 new fanart
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5934/powstanie.jpg
44. Fanart
Posted by Świrek at 7:27PM, Saturday October 9 2010
http://swirekster.deviantart.com/art/City-44-elite-182058058
45. Art:
Posted by chiasaur11 at 11:05PM, Saturday October 9 2010
Swanky.
The rough doesn't look so great, but the final?
Atmosphere is just right.
46. WEEEE
Posted by Świrek at 12:56PM, Wednesday October 13 2010
new sketch :)
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5237/bvbvbvbvbcb.jpg
49. RE: small bonus
Posted by kast at 12:24PM, Friday October 15 2010
I think the only response to that is 'holy fuck'! In a good way.
51. Ah, yes.
Posted by chiasaur11 at 11:12PM, Saturday October 16 2010
That was fun.
Man, hard mode Zombines can take more abuse than one would like.
53. fix for monerva?
Posted by Świrek at 8:31PM, Tuesday October 19 2010
http://swirekster.deviantart.com/art/fix-for-Minerva-183219408
55. Hello
Posted by Świrek at 7:20PM, Saturday November 6 2010
extremely fast sketch for new fanart
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/1459/minnnn.jpg
56. and
Posted by Świrek at 12:05PM, Sunday November 7 2010
http://swirekster.deviantart.com/art/Aww-fuck-sketch-185249392
58. Y'know...
Posted by Actaeon at 1:20AM, Friday December 24 2010
...I doodled some MINERVA-related things (quite a) while ago and that is pretty much exactly what it looked like.
I suppose that once you know what naked combine look like it's impossible not to envision MINERVA's protagonist like that.
Nice work!
59. !
Posted by fuzz at 8:41PM, Tuesday January 4 2011
"once you know what naked combine look like"
ewwwww, bad metal image
60. minerva patch
Posted by Lewk at 11:21AM, Monday January 24 2011
Mr Foster, I was just wondering if you were able to give us a little bit of an update about the patch you were working on for your Minerva MOD. Is that still going to happen?
Thanks,
Lewk.
61. :D
Posted by Świrek at 9:50PM, Monday January 24 2011
http://swirekster.deviantart.com/art/Confiscation-field-194758133
Article is now closed for commenting.
1. for science
Posted by vecima at 3:49AM, Wednesday June 16 2010
awesome.
as for fixing MINERVA, fahgettahboutit. Just work on OOT instead... I'm sure some poor sap somewhere would be glad to spend their time "fixing" your old mod. It's time to look forward, not backwise!