Because I was away at a conference all week, I didn’t have much time. I had already found some good trees and begun work on the ceiling of my test room, but I figured I had played with that test room enough. But in about four hours today, I created this room from scratch. The textures were part of packs I had already downloaded, of course.

I’m working on trying to create a Half-Life 2 mod version of “Cloak of Darkness,” a simple game that interactive fiction programmers use as a kind of universal translator. If you know how to create “Cloak of Darkness” in one programming language, then seeing how somebody else has created it in a different language can help you learn that language, too.

I have noted before that Half-Life 2 is set in a grungy dystopia, so there are a lot of textures for rubble and cement, but not a whole lot of gilt paneling, marble alcoves, etc. I was happy to find a texture for shiny brass, which with some marble tiles lets me make something approximating the opulence of an opera hall (which is where “Cloak of Darkness” is supposed to be set). I e-mailed the author of the “A Few Good G-Men” video, to ask whether he’d be willing to share the set for that piece, but I got no reply. I’d still like to use his courtroom set, but it will be good for me to learn this stuff on my own, so I’m continuing to slog away.

I rather like the ceiling, and the wall sconces, but I’d like to make the chandelier just a little bit more classical, like an upside-down wedding cake. While I would have liked elegant marble columns and arched alcoves, for the time being I’ll make do with blocky shapes.

That’s because “Cloak of Darkness” involves some simple interactions with objects, so I’ve got to finish laying out the rooms quickly so I can start investigating conditional actions and in-game feedback (perhaps through voice and/or text).


Half-Life 2 Mod: Week 5 — Brass Columns, Detailed Ceiling, Chandelier in a Blocky Opera House (Jerz’s Literacy Weblog)