Half-Life 2: The AGN

In just over two weeks time, the "AGN Braodcast" mod-project for Half-Life 2 will begin, and at the moment a gameplan is being drafted for its development. Essentially, though, it will start off with doing the AGN broadcasts in SOURCE, and then (provided SOE are ok with it), we may do some single-player stories set before the war on Auraxis began, or something to do with the Vanu-Ancients. Provided Hamma and Marsman are ok with it, it will be hosted on the netowrk of sites that make up Planetside-universe.com.

Now despite the vote was a complete success for this idea, SOE still haven't replied, but somehow I now doubt they will until some evidence of its existence actually starts to show in the community. Shortly after the release of the mod-website, a post for recruitment of job positions will begin, and it won't be restricted to PS sites.

That sounds terrific, but isn't Planetside Universe and AGN shutting down in a few weeks? Has Hamma changed his mind recently?

UPDATE: Due to an announcement I was given earlier, hosting will now occur on HL Fallout instead.

Ok I was the LAST to know about it! But I do have a question in retrospect: what happens to PSIL when PSU closes?

These forums (the heart of Concept Division) is independent from PSU's servers, so no changes there.

Idealab will have new hosting arrangements, to be announced later.

i can't find any info on the mod at the links you gave me...

PSU is no longer closing down.

Wow, Ask the Devs is back? That's good news. I still need to see how PSIL relates to these new developments.

Ho Hum

I've made an announcement on the Official PS Forums, located here.

I can help on the 3D stuff, no 2D though.

If we do anything 2D it will probably only be textures or designs for the ingame-interface, but until a site is up and running, there won't be any recruitment of new people.

Special people, however, who are known as supporters to keep churning out game-improvements (Hayoo, Earlydawn and Orange) can form with me as part of the mod's development team-leaders, if you wish. This is because each of you not only post a lot on these forums, but have had more contact with SOE than I ever have as part of PSIL or on the Test Server, and you have set a great example to the rest of us since the game came out. Now at first I said that I would host this on PSU, but I have a feeling Hamma won't want to be charged any more money given the amount he has to pay now for the site (and he might kick me out of the clan)... so if you like, we could always host it as part of this network, since it operates independantly.

As a slight change to what was originally said, the videos that will be made will primarily revolve around the AGN broadcasts, but they will now also incorporate the Triumvirate storylines (a set of stories on PSU written about "the collapse"). The reason for this is that, on their own, the AGN stuff was very good as a radio show and (because people were only listening) they grasped the situations being portrayed. But at first, this mod will be here solely for the creation of videos in the SOURCE Engine, and as such, bringing in the others pieces will help to show it as more of a movie being played out as-it-happens.

To understand exactly what I mean, the hit tv show 24 is a good example of how these videos would finally appear.

As I've repeatedly said SOE may not help out, or they may simply ask us to stop doing it altogether, as PlanetSide is their interllectual-property... but if they instead say "keep going", you can be assured that full collaboration on designs they intended for the backstory's creation will either be used exactly or closely integrated, as I would prefer their full support in this.

On their site there a 2 wallpapers they made you can clearly see they couldn't have built except in a more powerful engine - or just as standalone artwork for the game - but it seemed to me like they were trying to add cutscenes in the game, and then decided they would instead let us play them out in the gameworld. Well... this mod is for all the things we didn't get to play!

For reasons of !!! NO EXPERIENCE !!! as they say, the site-design I will be done in PHP pages but all with HTML code. When my design is done and everybody is ok with it, I will get someone with that webskill to do a suitable conversion.

A site-design is expected on or after Friday at the earliest.

Cool.

There seems to be a couple of connection problems happenning withe PS Forums at the moment, so for anyone who missed my statement, they can check it out below:

I've unfortunately had to put this to a vote, since one Co-Leader has agreed to the former, and the other to the latter idea. I've been thinking about how people would want to see these when the videos are completed, and I've decided on one of two ideas... no matter which we do, however, each video will be relelased in three sizes, with the smallest for those with only a 56k/ISDN connection.

So, here are the choices:
1) Three videos in SOURCE that each correspond to the length in the original recordings (as well as "Triumvirate" stories that are in tune with that point in history)?

2) Two "short-movies" in SOURCE (the first encompassing AGN1 and AGN2, as well as some of the "Triumvirate" stories), each 45 minutes long?

Now depending on how large these sizes for videos get, we will probably release them in either Xvid-compression AVIs, or as a MOV. Since I don't think you can add proper polls to an already established thread, I have made it so people can post in this one their choices and comments, for your convenience.


This project is now being christened as "Half-Life 2: War on Auraxis", so could Hayoo please move it to the Works-In-Progress area of the site?


UPDATE: Thank You