UPDATE: Three things I learned after uploading this video: 1 - A LOT of people hate this mod (lmao) 2 - EVERYBODY loves Dark Interval (double lmao) 3 - Nobody cares about Missing Information (sad!) ngl fam, because of how annoyed I was about the maps and the pacing, the second half of this video is just me bitching about it :(
I wouldn't say that you was bitching about it, RTBR has weird view on Cut Content of Half-life 2 and reimagining some things, like headcrab or stunstick designs. It's good point that RTBR mapping has some problems not only in the detail but also in pacing. Some maps literally taken from HL2 Leak and changed a little bit. No wonder why you was overwhelming from long dialogue in lab, because this is exactly reason why Valve made it shorter. I didn't get it why developers of mod didn't changed it. Also I wouldn't say that RTBR is really something nEw, because it's beyTA mod and typical for beyta mod it's suffering from repeatable ideas, concepts, even maps if modders so lazy to make a something new. Even when they changed sTyle of models and weapons it doesn't change anything. idk why you thought you are gonna get hate train because you didn't like something.
@@cheese_dreamer247 I'll be honest, my dude: I was not aware of the reputation this mod has on the internet. In my mind, RtBR was like this super awesome mod that everyone loves and I was scared of saying anything bad about it. But after reading the comments here, I realized that the mod is actually not well received by a majority of fans. I saw the mod's name come up in so many places, I thought "oh, it must be a good mod if everyone's talking about it."... buuuut it's not. Lmao.
@@RadiationHazardYT that was my first impression too, and that's how I got into the beta stuff. But conspiring it to dark interval and reading the comments has drastically changed my opinion of rtbr
The sound effects in this mod are absolutely top notch. The guns feel incredible to use, which is a massive refreshment after the peashooter pistol of retail Half-Life 2.
The main problem with this mod is the voice of the Consul and the fact that you have a hunter chopper in the middle of the narrow streets. Other than that, I think it's a nice interpretation of the beta. They should put Combine Guards maybe instead of attack helicopters in the middle of those streets. I'm a member of their discord servers and after I will be going over some bugs multiple time, I'd also like to give this feedback.
I like this mod honestly. It's not horrible at all, but not perfect. It's a neat little thing to maybe play through it once, and then look for other things to play.
There's a public part 2 alpha build on Dark interval's discord server and it's pretty much 90% gameplay (even has new enemies to fight like bullsquid, houndeyes, and a surprise xen creature I wont spoil). Wish they actually put it up on moddb since their discord server was the only place it was released I'm pretty sure. But anyways, great video!
Thank you! Yes, another viewer did tell me about the Part 2 Alpha, but I'll wait for the public release on Moddb. It'll be fully fine-tuned and will make for a good video :)
yeah honestly, it's not that good. You can't really lie though, the Metropolice models are pretty sick. When I first saw the MP Elite, I loved it. The voices for them are good too. Barney voice, terrible, models, some are great, some aren't. The soldiers are alright, the Combine Guard is REALLY GOOD, especially his new gun. The Consul is a meh for me.
I agree with this video a lot. Some things are very inconsistent such as the pacing of the mod and the way how some scripted sequences should work. I mean, it’s not a horrible mod by all means (despite the big negativity around it) I just think some calls need to be made instead of just putting things in and hoping it would work. The models are great but in some areas they feel out of place. VA is a mixed bag for me, Barney is eh, Gman is okay, the cops are cool too but their design looks funny. Kleiner has a cool accurate voice but in some sentences you could hear the impression die off and hear the dudes normal voice. I also expected some map changes like the level design and the art direction but that seems to be the same kinda since they just added a few things in and said “bam” it should make them happy. (Well, that’s what I think) Idk, I just think the devs are just being told to do whatever or something. But I still prefer Dark Interval since it’s just my opinion. But I do have my hopes for the mod.
Another GREAT video! I played the newest version of RTB before watching this video and my opinions have not changed. I hate being negative about the mod because I know how hard the developers have worked on it. But I will hope, pray, and cheer on Raising The Bar. I agreed with your video, can't wait for the Missing Information video!
Also, the consul's accent here is more like Bulgarian/Serbian or other Southeastern European, the Russian accent would sound sharper on consonants (speaking as a russian myself, lol)
I'd take dark interval over RTBR. Alot of models don't really fit and seem more 'generic evil sci-fi' even compared to the HL2 beta, the voice acting is pretty hit or miss most of the time, the fancy new areas conflict with the ripped beta maps, the gunplay and weapon models are great but the maps you actually do the fighting are meh to decent. It just ain't it for me chief.
Raising the Bar: Redux is a sad sight to me. It's nearly a perfect textbook example of Brooks' Law, which is only continuously exemplified by the development team's constant necessity to add more people on, either as constant developers or for specific jobs. It's the reason why the first version of rtb:r that the public got to see was a developer leak, there were too many devs and someone got upset, and it's why the mod has very little direction where it currently is. Under normal circumstances, I don't have a single issue with modders using the WC Mappack maps in order to make their own mod. However, with that being said, this is a mod that's been in development since 2018 and has had two official beta builds be released for it, you'd think in the very least they would have moved on from copied geometry to their own work for the starting levels by now. I haven't played the most recent build of the game, I simply watched colleagues of mine from VCC do it instead, to which it was made pretty obvious to me that I absolutely should not bother downloading and playing it again myself. What we have currently shows a clear lack of direction in level design and a misjudgement of how to go about integrating a new style into something that already has a style of its own. The newly made "e3 2004" styled citizens don't look like they have a straitjacket/corset-style shirt that they're wearing, it just looks like they have some sort of retail shirt with a weird design on its back, which is to say that it doesn't look like it's tightening around their skin. The new headcrab designs look good on their own, but they definitely do not look like headcrabs, leading one to wonder if they were changed for the mod itself or simply for the sake of changing them. They look like horseshoe crabs with shells instead of the fleshy headcrabs we've come to know. The zombie model looks fantastic, save for one small problem: The zombie doesn't have the same design as the citizens. Civil Protection are just bizarre to look at, in my opinion, their heads look like they're bulbous and made of porcelain, almost as if their helmets were made out of ramen bowls. If you've seen the renders that have been done for other characters, especially Helena Mossman and the Consul's full model, it's clear that this misdirected redesign of the game's art style extends far past what we already see: Helena just uses retail Mossman's head, with her blonde hair just sort of plastered onto her facemap? I would like to hope that this is a work in progress design, but the fact that they paraded it around in one of their development updates doesn't quite fill me with hope. The Consul looks like he's wearing an elastic gimp suit. The specularity is just so overly used on many of these models. As for level design, the first few levels are bearable. However, things take an incredibly quick and sharp turn downward as soon as we reach the hunter chopper chase-down sequence. There is absolutely no reason why a player should be running from a hunter chopper on foot through long, wide roads that are loosely littered with small hiding spaces. An argument cannot be made that compares this to water hazard, as the dangers of the helicopter are negated by the player's ability to outmaneuver it while in the boat. In rtb:r, this sequence is just sort of torturous. Again, I would give this the benefit of the doubt over the levels still being in beta, but a lot of these levels have received very minor if any changes since the first public build leaked back in 2018, which says to me that it's not genuinely within the interested of the development team to go back on levels they have deemed "done" even in the face of user feedback. I've heard some other nasty things regarding this by people who have been commissioned playtesters for the mod as well, but that's mostly just hearsay, so I'm just going to stick with my own problems with the mod. Concluding that all, anyway, I feel like rtb:r does have potential, but Kralich needs to get his act in line. The team needs to be downsized tremendously and full-time developers need to be replaced with commission developers for specific tasks (voice acting, specific models, etc.) When I played through the first build that was officially released publicly, I noted that the credits gave at least 60 developers, with 30 being current and 30 former. I haven't an idea how much that count has risen since, but I've noticed at times that new developer updates have mentioned an inclusion of upwards to 10 new developers in one month alone, and I'm constantly receiving pings on the Source Modding Community Discord from rtb:r devs asking for new members.
Lmao I actually read your whole comment and I never knew about the mod's background or team's history. You make a lot of good points that I'm just starting to realize about the mod. And you're right about the credits part, there are a crap ton of names listed so it's fair to wonder, where has that whole "experience" gone to? Why is the mod in this weird ass state. Indie studios have less people then that and create bangers but this team is just... ugh... but thanks for the tl;dr. The team and Kralich do need to get their heads straight and do something about this mod. Anyway - thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it!
@@RadiationHazardYT There were a few choice things I left out. When you first got your gun, did ever go up to the 3rd story of the apartment building and find the guy hanging from the ceiling? The first time I saw him I genuinely burst out laughing. I know it's supposed to be "dark," but I'm not so sure "random citizen hanging from a noose" really conveys that well.
Hmm, I agree but there are some things wrong. I'm not sure if this is considered "feedback/opinion" if you haven't played the most recent version yet. The maps are all original and nothing was taken from the WC map pack (According to Kralich on the discord server, and maybe some of his streams). Also, the development team is interested in the feedback they get. Full consideration and saved somewhere. For me at least, some of the levels from the 2018 leak were drastically improved than they were before. As of right now, the team is a 40 man team with no budget, they do this for fun and it's a hobby to them. The public doesn't deserve this but we have it anyway thanks to them. I'd say this is dedication for a mod and I see a lot of potential with the way how things are. If Kralich wasn't managing the mod well then this would've died long ago. But, I don't think the team needs to be downsized and replaced by commissioned developers because of how Kralich sees it, it's not how mod/game development works and doesn't want to make the people who voice acted a certain character or worked on a particular map feel as if they were useless and that they should be replaced because they did a bad job. That just seems ridiculous to me. (Not saying you said it I've just seen some stupid comments on various discord servers. I just thought this connected with your comment.) Also, I'm not sure where you got the "10 new developers in one month alone" idea from. Now, I don't fully disagree with you and I actually agree with some of your major points. Such as the headcrabs, metrocops, Helena, Consul being too funny looking. That's what I thought but, I *accepted* that it's the team's way of doing things and that it's their decision and their mod. The major fallout is the pacing too, they really need to work on that. Hopefully in the future, since they said 1.2 is the last update for Division 1, for awhile. (sorry if I worded this weird because I rushed it)
Yay! Another great video, thanks for sharing your thoughts on RTBR, unfortunately I think that the mod takes too long to actually get you into the gameplay part, sure, it is 10 times better than Dark Intervals gun play but I find it kinda annoying going around in circles from place to place, in the map part of the mod I like that they stay true to the original maps that were leaked back in the 2000s but I find annoying that they didn't change the general layout of some areas, still think that Dark Interval takes the crown for the mapping process. Regarding your video, I stay by my last words from the previous part, you absolutely nailed it! I would like to share my thoughts about the mod too, but I dont wanna make my comment look like a 100 page essay. Oh and while i'm on it, could it be possible if you made a video regarding the leaked soundtrack and general audio of the HL2 beta? I would appreciate that!
I agree. It does take a while before the action begins, but even then the "going in circles" bit drags down the mod. DI is definitely the king here. Thank you! I actually did some researching on the soundtrack of HL2 beta but nothing came up. A majority of what I read said Chris Jensen's music (OpFor, Blue Shift composer) was being labeled as Beta soundtrack, but it actually isn't. I do have a video planned for the audio files though. The spooky stuff and the weird stuff.
@@RadiationHazardYT I found some stuff in the files. In the temp folders there's a few "stinger" songs and "Ambient1". The music folder has some stuff too. The "Map" songs aren't in the retail files I believe, and there are multiple early versions of "Hard Fought"
I really loved this mod it seems like a perfect balance between beta atmosphere (textures , weapons, enemies and models) and retail gameplay in the combat parts and dialogues npcs. I think Raising The Bar Redux wins in gameplay and Dark Interval wins in exploration and atmosphere.
The good things Is that devs actually learn from their mistakes and they improve the mod in each update/teaser, I really despise people who openly bitches about this mod just because it has flaws, because the devs are actually really nice dedicated people
@MASLIN BRUNER Yea they're all high quality mods but I felt that Dark Interval did it just a little bit better than the others. RTBR and Dark Interval are still in development though and I'm hopeful for RTBR
I have played RtBR 1.2 and Dark Interval last month, and I'd say, Dark Interval has slightly more of "the original beta atmosphere", while RtBR is more "Black Mesa but for HL2", but overall I'd say it's literally like giving the same end goal to two artists and seeing how they approach it. Both are exceptional, as someone once wrote in the comments, "more Half-Life 2 than the Half-Life 2".
I can’t get Missing Info to run, it just crashes at the main menu. I heard it was short though, so maybe you could include the Cremation mod as well? I’ll be honest this mod just doesn’t seem to do the trick for me. Its sorta like the uncanny valley, but for HL2 mods. It almost looks like the beta, but something is just off; the voice acting, the designs for the Combine and their aesthetics, even the city itself. I think they didn’t stick enough to the beta, or at least the playable versions, because it looks more like it’s own thing than a recreation of the beta. It’s cool how it’s (i think) based more off the concept art, but I dunno, it’s just kinda weird.
Yeah. It is a bit "off" if we look at the overall thing, but I'd still commend the team for creating it. Looks nice I guess. And yeah, Missing Info does seem to not work for a lot of people. I downloaded all the SDKs on Steam and installed it. It ran, but with a couple of bugs. I'll just have to work with that. And nah, I'll hold on the mods for now. Unless MI is extremely short then I'll add in a honorable mention, but no more mods for a few videos. I'll come back to them later though.
@@RadiationHazardYT Ah, Ok. Maybe next time you make a video about beta mods you could cover the few mods for the beta on hl2-beta.ru, there’s not many but they’re still nice. The Borealis and The Thing mods are especially good.
@@HaliOnRepeat So I just came back after a quick run on Missing Information. There's a lot of content in there, but not enough to warrant a 15min+ video. I'll add in the The Thing mod as an extra because it got some cool vibes to it. Btw - I think the Cremation mod has a lot of the same MI maps.
The main thing i dislike about this mod is the models. I get that some of them are based on concept art most of which was cut for a good reason. The models that aren't based on concept art look very off model, like the Headcrab which has odd fins, and is to realistic, the Metrocop both Elite and normal, has big eyes, and a big forehead, which make them look like cihbi/anime characters.
I know that I'm like...two years late, but in regards to Gman's dialogue, he's not just saying ominous things. He's trying to paint a favorable picture for Gordon and nudge him to the direction of his assignment aka kickstarting the revolution. Speculation alert: You may ask "why does he need to?", well the reasoning is that dystopian societies(especially real world ones) tend to inspire helplessness in their populace. Rather than having Gordon's first impressions of the world being one of despair, this dialogue by Gman is an attempt to inspire rebelious behavior in him. That's at least my take on it.
Hi!First,thank you!And the video is great!Good job,keep up with this content!Ps:Can you make video about Hl 1 and Hl:Alyx(Cut content,reused content from betas)?
I like Raising the bar Redux, especially after division 1.2. It’s not as good as dark interval but I like raising the bar redux as it’s own retelling of half life 2. The best Raising The Bar moments are with the gunfights. It gets very good when the gunplay starts.
The Dark Interval team and the raising the bar Redux teams should to a collab. Dark Interval do this graphics and maps with the redux team doing the gameplay.
2:11 that sums up RTBR for better or worse; it all feels… off compared to stock HL2. i get that it’s a beta recreation, but this one feels more like some sort of parallel universe version you stumble upon by accident. “yeah, project citadel might be a little more saturated and shorter than regular half-life 2, but if you want a bite-sized way to relive that classic story, it’s not bad. long live the empire.”
I think all the beta mods suffer from the same problem, they all assume that Valve wanted to include every idea in the pre-leak retail game, god knows what that would be, but I don't think there's any world where they spread themselves that thin.
I played the previous version of this months ago, and i don't know why, but it's just not as memorable as dark interval, i'm not even sure if i finished it.
The one thing that I really like about this game is the sound design for the guns. They sound very punchy and powerful, which enhanced the gameplay for me, I goofed around for like a straight hour just shooting all the guns (impulse 101 gives you a lot of extra weapons, however most of them are errors and have no sound, the ones that do have sound are the MP5K, OICW, HK21/GR9, Immolator and the weapons you get in the campaign (USP, MP7A1, Revolver (I don't like the sound, it's very weak) Grenades)). As for the aesthetic of the game, I agree with many that it doesn't really have that full "beta" feel. It just feels like they took their own spin of Half-Life 2 with the beta in mind. Map design did indeed feel a bit off, places looked too similar. I think it would be cool if the buildings became more and more industrial the closer you got to the citadel, maybe including the "combine assimilation" aspect of the beta where buildings were converted for combine use. Map design strictly gameplay wise was fine for me. It was very linear so I didn't really get lost, and the use of lighting helped me get through the map. One part I got a bit confused in was the construction site. The wooden boards broke which discouraged me from going there, and the place i was supposed to go to didn't seem to be walkable, since it wasn't well lit and it was so high up. AND there was a vent with a grate at the end wide enough that you could fit an explosive barrel in, which did nothing and just confused me. Overall, pretty good mod as it's own thing, but not the best beta recreation.
what i really like about this is the gun animation and design compared to Dark Interval, if only they could combine the 2 and well make it work from there.
I mean, I think the shifting is cool, being in a different area the whole time makes you feel uncomfortable as you have yet another place to adapt to, more difference creates more need of adaptation and the feel of being slammed right and left, maybe even pursuit... Then yet, I haven't play the thing, I am speaking just from a side of a watcher, so I can't really tell already, I'm just basing it all on the concept and the few images
Also critisicm doesnt equal hate so dont go apologizing for something normal like that, we should be honest and tell it how it is so that devs can do their part with the right information.
I don’t wanna sound like an overly negative person, but I absolutely HATE the aesthetic changes in Raising the Bar. The new look of the metrocops, headcrabs, everything etc just rubs me the wrong way. The metrocops just look…bad almost? They don’t look threatening or anything of the sort. Just kind of goofy. Too much curvature on their masks it’s just…ugh, don’t like it.
if you look at it as its own fan-made game, it's pretty cool, but when you look at it as a mod for half life 2, it does lose the originality of valve's design. Other than that, design-wise I think it would have been much loved even if it had been released instead of hl2, although not as much.
@@RadiationHazardYT PLUS DIVISON 1.1 CAME OUT ON JUNE 7TH and divison 1.2 came out on december 28th and plus il do a full video on all the divisons just too show you!
UPDATE: Three things I learned after uploading this video:
1 - A LOT of people hate this mod (lmao)
2 - EVERYBODY loves Dark Interval (double lmao)
3 - Nobody cares about Missing Information (sad!)
ngl fam, because of how annoyed I was about the maps and the pacing, the second half of this video is just me bitching about it :(
I wouldn't say that you was bitching about it, RTBR has weird view on Cut Content of Half-life 2 and reimagining some things, like headcrab or stunstick designs.
It's good point that RTBR mapping has some problems not only in the detail but also in pacing. Some maps literally taken from HL2 Leak and changed a little bit.
No wonder why you was overwhelming from long dialogue in lab, because this is exactly reason why Valve made it shorter.
I didn't get it why developers of mod didn't changed it.
Also I wouldn't say that RTBR is really something nEw, because it's beyTA mod and typical for beyta mod it's suffering from repeatable ideas, concepts, even maps if modders so lazy to make a something new. Even when they changed sTyle of models and weapons it doesn't change anything.
idk why you thought you are gonna get hate train because you didn't like something.
Man, Missing Information is what got me into the beta scene in the first place! It's not the best imo but the ideas were there.
@@cheese_dreamer247 I'll be honest, my dude: I was not aware of the reputation this mod has on the internet. In my mind, RtBR was like this super awesome mod that everyone loves and I was scared of saying anything bad about it. But after reading the comments here, I realized that the mod is actually not well received by a majority of fans. I saw the mod's name come up in so many places, I thought "oh, it must be a good mod if everyone's talking about it."... buuuut it's not. Lmao.
Yes, Missing Information is my first Half-Life 2 Beta mod, when I played. Love it.
@@RadiationHazardYT that was my first impression too, and that's how I got into the beta stuff. But conspiring it to dark interval and reading the comments has drastically changed my opinion of rtbr
The sound effects in this mod are absolutely top notch. The guns feel incredible to use, which is a massive refreshment after the peashooter pistol of retail Half-Life 2.
Exactly, and it even ejects a brass cartridge as it would irl. Unlike that whole "65% more bullet, per bullet" meme because of a developer oversight.
The main problem with this mod is the voice of the Consul and the fact that you have a hunter chopper in the middle of the narrow streets. Other than that, I think it's a nice interpretation of the beta. They should put Combine Guards maybe instead of attack helicopters in the middle of those streets. I'm a member of their discord servers and after I will be going over some bugs multiple time, I'd also like to give this feedback.
I like this mod honestly. It's not horrible at all, but not perfect. It's a neat little thing to maybe play through it once, and then look for other things to play.
the best thing about raising the bar redux is the fricking revolver i love the revolver. the ragdoll
new sub, this is great!
Ayo holy smokes! It's noclick! Thank you!! :) Glad to have you here!
@@RadiationHazardYT the beginning of a legendary friendship
If someone make full hl2 beta 2001,2002 era i would pay him all money i have
How much money you have?
@@malcolmholmes115 none
I would donate my kidney and someone else kidney
Play Raising The Bar: Redux.
I, too, would donate this guy's kidney.
700 subs already??? Man i remember when you weren't even 100! Keep posting banger videos!
Haha it has been WILD, honestly. I never expected this growth, ever. But thank you for the support! :)
There's a public part 2 alpha build on Dark interval's discord server and it's pretty much 90% gameplay (even has new enemies to fight like bullsquid, houndeyes, and a surprise xen creature I wont spoil). Wish they actually put it up on moddb since their discord server was the only place it was released I'm pretty sure. But anyways, great video!
Thank you! Yes, another viewer did tell me about the Part 2 Alpha, but I'll wait for the public release on Moddb. It'll be fully fine-tuned and will make for a good video :)
I actually played this yesterday and it was awesome experiencing this strange alternative world to what could have been
yeah honestly, it's not that good. You can't really lie though, the Metropolice models are pretty sick. When I first saw the MP Elite, I loved it. The voices for them are good too. Barney voice, terrible, models, some are great, some aren't. The soldiers are alright, the Combine Guard is REALLY GOOD, especially his new gun. The Consul is a meh for me.
I'm sure this mod will improve over time, things will change and will (hopefully) get better.
Oh boy Barney's voice doesn't sound like Barney's voice
The atmosphere and the map design looks good to be honest. Il actually download this mod, it does seems interesting.
Thanks for the video.
Yo! yo yo yo
Dark interval maps with RTBR gameplay.
Okay, that would be SICK, like dark intervals atmosphere and RTBR gunplay.
I’ve been blasphemously playing Dark Interval with RTBR models and sounds...
Lmao
I agree with this video a lot. Some things are very inconsistent such as the pacing of the mod and the way how some scripted sequences should work. I mean, it’s not a horrible mod by all means (despite the big negativity around it) I just think some calls need to be made instead of just putting things in and hoping it would work. The models are great but in some areas they feel out of place. VA is a mixed bag for me, Barney is eh, Gman is okay, the cops are cool too but their design looks funny. Kleiner has a cool accurate voice but in some sentences you could hear the impression die off and hear the dudes normal voice. I also expected some map changes like the level design and the art direction but that seems to be the same kinda since they just added a few things in and said “bam” it should make them happy. (Well, that’s what I think) Idk, I just think the devs are just being told to do whatever or something. But I still prefer Dark Interval since it’s just my opinion. But I do have my hopes for the mod.
Another GREAT video! I played the newest version of RTB before watching this video and my opinions have not changed. I hate being negative about the mod because I know how hard the developers have worked on it. But I will hope, pray, and cheer on Raising The Bar. I agreed with your video, can't wait for the Missing Information video!
7:58 - Actually, L.A, in California have beautiful colorful sunsets because of smog.
I have a feeling that your channel's gonna grow huge with these videos, it's just a feeling but i can't wait to see it!
Thank you my dude! We can only hope for the best :)
@@RadiationHazardYT I hope it grows quickly and keeps people entertained!
Yes, part 2 so soon. Your videos are so consistent.
Half life 2/Beta in Nutshel: WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, RUN, RUN, RUN *Suit noises*
Thank you for your content, marathoning your beta-content videos right now and really appreciate it
Also, the consul's accent here is more like Bulgarian/Serbian or other Southeastern European, the Russian accent would sound sharper on consonants (speaking as a russian myself, lol)
Ah ok, gotcha. I'm not that knowledgeable on accents honestly. And thank you!
I'd take dark interval over RTBR. Alot of models don't really fit and seem more 'generic evil sci-fi' even compared to the HL2 beta, the voice acting is pretty hit or miss most of the time, the fancy new areas conflict with the ripped beta maps, the gunplay and weapon models are great but the maps you actually do the fighting are meh to decent. It just ain't it for me chief.
I think the Consul was supposed to be Russian according to his real voice lines from the beta files.
I've always wanted to try out RTB:R but I would always forget to find time for it, thanks for this video :D
I kinda liked this one
Raising the Bar: Redux is a sad sight to me. It's nearly a perfect textbook example of Brooks' Law, which is only continuously exemplified by the development team's constant necessity to add more people on, either as constant developers or for specific jobs. It's the reason why the first version of rtb:r that the public got to see was a developer leak, there were too many devs and someone got upset, and it's why the mod has very little direction where it currently is. Under normal circumstances, I don't have a single issue with modders using the WC Mappack maps in order to make their own mod. However, with that being said, this is a mod that's been in development since 2018 and has had two official beta builds be released for it, you'd think in the very least they would have moved on from copied geometry to their own work for the starting levels by now. I haven't played the most recent build of the game, I simply watched colleagues of mine from VCC do it instead, to which it was made pretty obvious to me that I absolutely should not bother downloading and playing it again myself. What we have currently shows a clear lack of direction in level design and a misjudgement of how to go about integrating a new style into something that already has a style of its own. The newly made "e3 2004" styled citizens don't look like they have a straitjacket/corset-style shirt that they're wearing, it just looks like they have some sort of retail shirt with a weird design on its back, which is to say that it doesn't look like it's tightening around their skin. The new headcrab designs look good on their own, but they definitely do not look like headcrabs, leading one to wonder if they were changed for the mod itself or simply for the sake of changing them. They look like horseshoe crabs with shells instead of the fleshy headcrabs we've come to know. The zombie model looks fantastic, save for one small problem: The zombie doesn't have the same design as the citizens. Civil Protection are just bizarre to look at, in my opinion, their heads look like they're bulbous and made of porcelain, almost as if their helmets were made out of ramen bowls. If you've seen the renders that have been done for other characters, especially Helena Mossman and the Consul's full model, it's clear that this misdirected redesign of the game's art style extends far past what we already see: Helena just uses retail Mossman's head, with her blonde hair just sort of plastered onto her facemap? I would like to hope that this is a work in progress design, but the fact that they paraded it around in one of their development updates doesn't quite fill me with hope. The Consul looks like he's wearing an elastic gimp suit. The specularity is just so overly used on many of these models.
As for level design, the first few levels are bearable. However, things take an incredibly quick and sharp turn downward as soon as we reach the hunter chopper chase-down sequence. There is absolutely no reason why a player should be running from a hunter chopper on foot through long, wide roads that are loosely littered with small hiding spaces. An argument cannot be made that compares this to water hazard, as the dangers of the helicopter are negated by the player's ability to outmaneuver it while in the boat. In rtb:r, this sequence is just sort of torturous. Again, I would give this the benefit of the doubt over the levels still being in beta, but a lot of these levels have received very minor if any changes since the first public build leaked back in 2018, which says to me that it's not genuinely within the interested of the development team to go back on levels they have deemed "done" even in the face of user feedback. I've heard some other nasty things regarding this by people who have been commissioned playtesters for the mod as well, but that's mostly just hearsay, so I'm just going to stick with my own problems with the mod.
Concluding that all, anyway, I feel like rtb:r does have potential, but Kralich needs to get his act in line. The team needs to be downsized tremendously and full-time developers need to be replaced with commission developers for specific tasks (voice acting, specific models, etc.) When I played through the first build that was officially released publicly, I noted that the credits gave at least 60 developers, with 30 being current and 30 former. I haven't an idea how much that count has risen since, but I've noticed at times that new developer updates have mentioned an inclusion of upwards to 10 new developers in one month alone, and I'm constantly receiving pings on the Source Modding Community Discord from rtb:r devs asking for new members.
tl:dr mod stinky, need less developer
Lmao I actually read your whole comment and I never knew about the mod's background or team's history. You make a lot of good points that I'm just starting to realize about the mod. And you're right about the credits part, there are a crap ton of names listed so it's fair to wonder, where has that whole "experience" gone to? Why is the mod in this weird ass state. Indie studios have less people then that and create bangers but this team is just... ugh... but thanks for the tl;dr. The team and Kralich do need to get their heads straight and do something about this mod. Anyway - thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it!
@@RadiationHazardYT There were a few choice things I left out. When you first got your gun, did ever go up to the 3rd story of the apartment building and find the guy hanging from the ceiling? The first time I saw him I genuinely burst out laughing. I know it's supposed to be "dark," but I'm not so sure "random citizen hanging from a noose" really conveys that well.
@@wolfcl0ck Haha lol no I didn't see that. I went straight ahead.
Hmm, I agree but there are some things wrong. I'm not sure if this is considered "feedback/opinion" if you haven't played the most recent version yet. The maps are all original and nothing was taken from the WC map pack (According to Kralich on the discord server, and maybe some of his streams). Also, the development team is interested in the feedback they get. Full consideration and saved somewhere. For me at least, some of the levels from the 2018 leak were drastically improved than they were before.
As of right now, the team is a 40 man team with no budget, they do this for fun and it's a hobby to them. The public doesn't deserve this but we have it anyway thanks to them. I'd say this is dedication for a mod and I see a lot of potential with the way how things are. If Kralich wasn't managing the mod well then this would've died long ago. But, I don't think the team needs to be downsized and replaced by commissioned developers because of how Kralich sees it, it's not how mod/game development works and doesn't want to make the people who voice acted a certain character or worked on a particular map feel as if they were useless and that they should be replaced because they did a bad job. That just seems ridiculous to me. (Not saying you said it I've just seen some stupid comments on various discord servers. I just thought this connected with your comment.) Also, I'm not sure where you got the "10 new developers in one month alone" idea from.
Now, I don't fully disagree with you and I actually agree with some of your major points. Such as the headcrabs, metrocops, Helena, Consul being too funny looking. That's what I thought but, I *accepted* that it's the team's way of doing things and that it's their decision and their mod. The major fallout is the pacing too, they really need to work on that. Hopefully in the future, since they said 1.2 is the last update for Division 1, for awhile.
(sorry if I worded this weird because I rushed it)
Yay! Another great video, thanks for sharing your thoughts on RTBR, unfortunately I think that the mod takes too long to actually get you into the gameplay part, sure, it is 10 times better than Dark Intervals gun play but I find it kinda annoying going around in circles from place to place, in the map part of the mod I like that they stay true to the original maps that were leaked back in the 2000s but I find annoying that they didn't change the general layout of some areas, still think that Dark Interval takes the crown for the mapping process.
Regarding your video, I stay by my last words from the previous part, you absolutely nailed it!
I would like to share my thoughts about the mod too, but I dont wanna make my comment look like a 100 page essay.
Oh and while i'm on it, could it be possible if you made a video regarding the leaked soundtrack and general audio of the HL2 beta? I would appreciate that!
I agree. It does take a while before the action begins, but even then the "going in circles" bit drags down the mod. DI is definitely the king here.
Thank you! I actually did some researching on the soundtrack of HL2 beta but nothing came up. A majority of what I read said Chris Jensen's music (OpFor, Blue Shift composer) was being labeled as Beta soundtrack, but it actually isn't. I do have a video planned for the audio files though. The spooky stuff and the weird stuff.
@@RadiationHazardYT I found some stuff in the files. In the temp folders there's a few "stinger" songs and "Ambient1". The music folder has some stuff too. The "Map" songs aren't in the retail files I believe, and there are multiple early versions of "Hard Fought"
pretty happy i’ve found this channel, your videos are pretty well made 👍
I really loved this mod it seems like a perfect balance between beta atmosphere (textures , weapons, enemies and models) and retail gameplay in the combat parts and dialogues npcs. I think Raising The Bar Redux wins in gameplay and Dark Interval wins in exploration and atmosphere.
The good things Is that devs actually learn from their mistakes and they improve the mod in each update/teaser, I really despise people who openly bitches about this mod just because it has flaws, because the devs are actually really nice dedicated people
Personally I find Dark Interval to be the better mod, but Raising The Bar Redux and Missing Information are by no means bad mods.
Exactly. RtB:R just needs a few tweaks on how the player progresses through the maps and it'll be even beter.
@@RadiationHazardYT I agree that RTBR has great potential
@MASLIN BRUNER Yea they're all high quality mods but I felt that Dark Interval did it just a little bit better than the others. RTBR and Dark Interval are still in development though and I'm hopeful for RTBR
I have played RtBR 1.2 and Dark Interval last month, and I'd say, Dark Interval has slightly more of "the original beta atmosphere", while RtBR is more "Black Mesa but for HL2", but overall I'd say it's literally like giving the same end goal to two artists and seeing how they approach it. Both are exceptional, as someone once wrote in the comments, "more Half-Life 2 than the Half-Life 2".
I can’t get Missing Info to run, it just crashes at the main menu. I heard it was short though, so maybe you could include the Cremation mod as well?
I’ll be honest this mod just doesn’t seem to do the trick for me. Its sorta like the uncanny valley, but for HL2 mods. It almost looks like the beta, but something is just off; the voice acting, the designs for the Combine and their aesthetics, even the city itself. I think they didn’t stick enough to the beta, or at least the playable versions, because it looks more like it’s own thing than a recreation of the beta. It’s cool how it’s (i think) based more off the concept art, but I dunno, it’s just kinda weird.
Yeah. It is a bit "off" if we look at the overall thing, but I'd still commend the team for creating it. Looks nice I guess.
And yeah, Missing Info does seem to not work for a lot of people. I downloaded all the SDKs on Steam and installed it. It ran, but with a couple of bugs. I'll just have to work with that. And nah, I'll hold on the mods for now. Unless MI is extremely short then I'll add in a honorable mention, but no more mods for a few videos. I'll come back to them later though.
@@RadiationHazardYT Ah, Ok. Maybe next time you make a video about beta mods you could cover the few mods for the beta on hl2-beta.ru, there’s not many but they’re still nice. The Borealis and The Thing mods are especially good.
@@HaliOnRepeat So I just came back after a quick run on Missing Information. There's a lot of content in there, but not enough to warrant a 15min+ video. I'll add in the The Thing mod as an extra because it got some cool vibes to it. Btw - I think the Cremation mod has a lot of the same MI maps.
Still waiting for a mod that is exactly like the 2001 maps but more complete
One day
I think that is what Build2001 aims to do, they certainly did that with the Vertigo maps, but development is slow.
@@a_cats Oh ok good
Will you ever talk about the hl1 alpha and beta
Of course dude. Hopefully soon I will make a video for the HL1 Alpha.
3:44 i always think of consul having a briish accent
The main thing i dislike about this mod is the models. I get that some of them are based on concept art most of which was cut for a good reason. The models that aren't based on concept art look very off model, like the Headcrab which has odd fins, and is to realistic,
the Metrocop both Elite and normal, has big eyes, and a big forehead, which make them look like cihbi/anime characters.
yeah, the metrocops look too... cute? and some of the model replacements feel too unnecessary
Happy holidays boi hope you had a good one
Ayy thanks man! And happy holidays to you too!
The combine soldiers marching reminded me of the Wolfenstein: The New Collaosus or somehing
7:36 hey, the box has vanished?
I know that I'm like...two years late, but in regards to Gman's dialogue, he's not just saying ominous things.
He's trying to paint a favorable picture for Gordon and nudge him to the direction of his assignment aka kickstarting the revolution.
Speculation alert: You may ask "why does he need to?", well the reasoning is that dystopian societies(especially real world ones) tend to inspire helplessness in their populace. Rather than having Gordon's first impressions of the world being one of despair, this dialogue by Gman is an attempt to inspire rebelious behavior in him.
That's at least my take on it.
Hi!First,thank you!And the video is great!Good job,keep up with this content!Ps:Can you make video about Hl 1 and Hl:Alyx(Cut content,reused content from betas)?
I will make content for HL1, but Alyx is a no go... I don't own a VR headset :(
I like Raising the bar Redux, especially after division 1.2. It’s not as good as dark interval but I like raising the bar redux as it’s own retelling of half life 2. The best Raising The Bar moments are with the gunfights. It gets very good when the gunplay starts.
Definitely agree with that. The combat in RtBR is great. The pistol feels and sounds "weighty" and I really liked that.
Heres to me having my Hope's up for raising the bar redux. Now I can definetly see dark interval is a LOT more better.
It has a retail feel, not a beta feel dispite it being a beta mod. Like a shitty retail, with SOME beta parts.
If you have not, recorded any footage for Missing Information. You should download the "Missing Information 1.6 Global Pack", It's just more map's.
Yup. I downloaded the 1.6 Global Pack from hl2-beta.ru
Haven't recorded any footage though. Just looked at the map list and closed it.
The Dark Interval team and the raising the bar Redux teams should to a collab. Dark Interval do this graphics and maps with the redux team doing the gameplay.
Reminder that even Hunt Down the Freeman had great feeling guns. xD
2:11 that sums up RTBR for better or worse; it all feels… off compared to stock HL2. i get that it’s a beta recreation, but this one feels more like some sort of parallel universe version you stumble upon by accident.
“yeah, project citadel might be a little more saturated and shorter than regular half-life 2, but if you want a bite-sized way to relive that classic story, it’s not bad. long live the empire.”
I think all the beta mods suffer from the same problem, they all assume that Valve wanted to include every idea in the pre-leak retail game, god knows what that would be, but I don't think there's any world where they spread themselves that thin.
That was fast
I am Gordon Allen. Fastest man alive.
@@RadiationHazardYT Garden Allan* (*cough* rtbr barney *cough*)
I played the previous version of this months ago, and i don't know why, but it's just not as memorable as dark interval, i'm not even sure if i finished it.
The dialogue of the G-Man was inspired by raising the bar, the book
The one thing that I really like about this game is the sound design for the guns. They sound very punchy and powerful, which enhanced the gameplay for me, I goofed around for like a straight hour just shooting all the guns (impulse 101 gives you a lot of extra weapons, however most of them are errors and have no sound, the ones that do have sound are the MP5K, OICW, HK21/GR9, Immolator and the weapons you get in the campaign (USP, MP7A1, Revolver (I don't like the sound, it's very weak) Grenades)). As for the aesthetic of the game, I agree with many that it doesn't really have that full "beta" feel. It just feels like they took their own spin of Half-Life 2 with the beta in mind. Map design did indeed feel a bit off, places looked too similar. I think it would be cool if the buildings became more and more industrial the closer you got to the citadel, maybe including the "combine assimilation" aspect of the beta where buildings were converted for combine use. Map design strictly gameplay wise was fine for me. It was very linear so I didn't really get lost, and the use of lighting helped me get through the map. One part I got a bit confused in was the construction site. The wooden boards broke which discouraged me from going there, and the place i was supposed to go to didn't seem to be walkable, since it wasn't well lit and it was so high up. AND there was a vent with a grate at the end wide enough that you could fit an explosive barrel in, which did nothing and just confused me. Overall, pretty good mod as it's own thing, but not the best beta recreation.
This feels like they should have cut some maps and trimmed other maps.
Man i really wish someone make a Full half-life 2 beta fangame i would Love to play it.
Consul looks like baldis basics! 😂 hilarious!
Gman sounds too young and not Gmanny enough.
what i really like about this is the gun animation and design compared to Dark Interval, if only they could combine the 2 and well make it work from there.
so dark so gritty
I mean, I think the shifting is cool, being in a different area the whole time makes you feel uncomfortable as you have yet another place to adapt to, more difference creates more need of adaptation and the feel of being slammed right and left, maybe even pursuit...
Then yet, I haven't play the thing, I am speaking just from a side of a watcher, so I can't really tell already, I'm just basing it all on the concept and the few images
Cool Video
Maybe ypu need to revisit this mod
Also critisicm doesnt equal hate so dont go apologizing for something normal like that, we should be honest and tell it how it is so that devs can do their part with the right information.
1:43 no offence but you would be a great g-man
i've never enjoyed this mod that much
what i dont like about beta mods is how all of them cease development and never get finished. its kind of annoying.
How do I install this mod because its not zip file
Your voice reminds me of barney
14:28 one thing
someone needs to recreate Half-Life Absolute Zero since they halted production and released the dev drive and source code.
i dont know. they reused some old beta level design iam not a fan its a vaste of potencial. but i realy like the new models
Have any of your views changed after the 1.2 update?
I haven't played it yet, but from the looks of it, it's looking great.
Even I can impersonate Barney's voice better the the VA in this can, and I'm far from a voice actor
Make a video on beta alyx pet stitch
There's not a whole lot about it, but I will cover it in a planned Cut Content follow up video.
i wish there was a way to skip the dialogues
I don’t wanna sound like an overly negative person, but I absolutely HATE the aesthetic changes in Raising the Bar. The new look of the metrocops, headcrabs, everything etc just rubs me the wrong way. The metrocops just look…bad almost? They don’t look threatening or anything of the sort. Just kind of goofy. Too much curvature on their masks it’s just…ugh, don’t like it.
You gotta make a follow up to this video review 2.1 Version its a bit better
Half Life Thou.
Nah nah, it's "Hayf Luife Teuuu"
Barney you ok man your voice seems a bit weird
I don't wanna sound rude but I cannot pin point your accent
Haha my accent tends to be as mysterious as G-Man himself
wait wait wait a second is there a gmod addon wit hthe weapons and maps? me: finds it aoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaooaoaaaaaoaoaoaoaoaoaoaosaoaoaoaoaoaoa
if you look at it as its own fan-made game, it's pretty cool, but when you look at it as a mod for half life 2, it does lose the originality of valve's design. Other than that, design-wise I think it would have been much loved even if it had been released instead of hl2, although not as much.
this is just div 1.2 why are you lying?
This video was uploaded on December 26th, 2020.
RTBR Division 1.2 was released on December 28th, 2020.
Thank you for attending my TEDTalk.
@@RadiationHazardYT YES BUT THIS IS JUST DIVISON 1.2 IF YOU PLAYED DIV1 AND 1.1 YOU WOULD KNOW LIKE I HAVE
@@RadiationHazardYT PLUS DIVISON 1.1 CAME OUT ON JUNE 7TH and divison 1.2 came out on december 28th and plus il do a full video on all the divisons just too show you!
I see a serioes amount of Black Mesa influence, and I don't like it one bit.