Singleplayer levels for Half-Life 2 created with various limitations and time constraints. All levels created by Jaycie Erysdren and Kimberly Riswick unless otherwise credited.
Map Labs is a community-run anthology of level design competitions for Half-Life 2, in the vein of the classic PlanetPhillip "Ville" competitions. Map Labs is run by Chris Weyland, Toki, and WALLe_PL
Anomalous Materials
Half-Life: Abridged
Released: 2019 - 08 - 16
Development Time: 22 days
Place: 2nd of 25
Additional Credits:
Voice of Barney: Joe Wintergreen (@joewintergreen)
Voice of Scientist: Coby Lewin (@ThatComona)
Testimonials:
"Definitely the funniest map of the bunch. With custom voice acting and a myriad of comedic moments, as well as a number of easter eggs and endings, this map is golden and absolutely worth a jaunt."
— Chris Weyland, Map Labs
"An easter-egg and secret-laden romp that abridges Half-Life 1's first chapter. Gordon slept in today, and there's only six minutes until he's fired. Get suited up and to the test chamber ASAP, even if the world does seem to be conspiring to slow you down."
— Dominic Tarason, PC Gamer
Commentary: Anomalous Materials (an abridged and joke-filled interpretation of Half-Life's chapter of the same name) is our most recognized and lauded entry. While the artpass pales in comparison to our more recent levels, the choreography and writing of the Scientists and Security Guards in the facility carry the enjoyment throughout. This was the first entry that me and Kimberly worked on together, proving to ourselves that we could create good work via collaboration.
Released: 2019 - 09 - 09
Development Time: 4 days
Place: 1st of 16
Testimonials:
"This map has everything. Great visuals, fun combat, some light platforming, easter egg dolls that catch everything on fire, tight level design. It's all-around a great map and absolutely deserves winning."
— Chris Weyland, Map Labs
Released: 2019 - 10 - 31
Development Time: 20 days
Place: 3rd of 11
Testimonials:
"This map was fantastic! It severely lacked in the horror department, but the atmosphere was insane - the ending was some of the best effects use I've seen in a HL2 map."
— Chris Weyland, Map Labs
Released: 2020 - 02 - 15
Development Time: 31 days
Place: 9th of 16
Commentary:
Probably our weakest entry overall. We spent about a week and a half at the start of the competition not really sure of ourselves, coming up with a lot of ideas but not really creating any. The decision to have Barney as a companion was made early on, and it definitely hurt us in the long run. The branching paths that we were required to have suddenly became much more difficult to execute. Even with all the solid artpassing and many good ideas, this level ended up as less than the sum of its parts.
Released: 2020 - 02 - 29
Development Time: 7 days
Place: 4th of 16
Additional Credits:
Voice of Fisherman: Alexis "StebMcDreb" Chambers (@StebMcDreb)
Voice of Mystery Person: Vivian "Capcat" Wren (@capcati)
Testimonials:
"As always, excellent map. It was a real challenge but not boring. The lore was fitting and fun as well. Nicely done!"
— Jakob // Tea, Map Labs Discord
Released: 2020 - 04 - 09
Development Time: 27 days
Place: 3rd of 12
Additional Credits:
Voice of Russell: Alexis "StebMcDreb" Chambers (@StebMcDreb)
Testimonials:
"Holy cow, what a level. Every inch of this map is soaked in pure love for the Half-Life franchise. (...) It felt more polished than most original levels. (...) As the player, you constantly feel "smart". You don't feel like you're in a linear corridor shooter. Well done."
— Jakob // Tea, Map Labs Discord
Commentary:
Both in terms of art and gameplay, I think this thus far the pinnacle of me and Kimberly's work.
Commentary:
This is my first solo Map Labs entry and I'm extremely proud of it, despite the short length. I think it holds up as an art experiment and small exploration of the world presented.
Game Development
Download on ModDB
Development Timelapse
