A lot of things can change during the development of a game. Half-Life is rich with lore, and because of this, things have constantly changed during the series development.

We recently sat down with Richard Seabrook, the developer of the upcoming fan-made Half-Life: Opposing Force sequel, Prospekt, to ask him some questions about the game and it’s development. We also put forward some questions to him from the community too.

You can watch the video interview below.

Last week we covered Black Mesa’s new Crossfire update. Now we’re happy to bring you an exclusive on the remade chapter, Surface Tension.

Calling all mappers, if you’ve been looking for an excuse to put your mapping skills to the test and win cool prizes then RunThinkShootLive.com has got just the competition for you!

If you haven’t yet seen Joe Wintergreen’s stunning Half-Life map renders in Unreal Engine, check this out.

This tutorial will show you how to create custom textures for use in creating maps for the Source engine. The process is also the same for creating textures for models, sprays, mods and essentially any image data within any Source game.

If you followed Part One of this guide, you should have some idea about the Source engine’s basic lighting capabilities. Now let’s go a step further to look at the more advanced techniques that the engine has to offer, including the extra capabilities of Portal 2, CS:GO and Dota 2.

Thanks to our previous Source tutorials you may have created an excellent map, but without lighting your players are going to feel left in the dark.

There are a range of different entities responsible for providing illumination in the Source engine, and the number and complexity of options open to you depends on which game you are mapping for. This guide will begin with basic lighting for Half-Life 2 and other Source 2007 games, before shedding some light on more complicated techniques.

If you followed our first Source SDK tutorial, you should have gotten to grips with the basic features of Hammer: you can use brushes to create rooms and corridors, change textures and place props. Your level is still mostly lifeless though, so it’s time to use Triggers to make things happen.

Is your map looking a little bit flat? Does it need that extra zing? Then High Dynamic Range can help you add that warm glow to your creation.

HDR is a subtle effect; a simple explanation is that is the effect of your eyes adjusting to a dark room after being in the bright outside. This means that darker areas will be darker initially, and will then rise to a brightness level more suited for interior gameplay. This dynamic balance of brightness adds contrast to your map, meaning an overall brighter and vibrant experience.