In case you don’t know already, I’m a huge fan of a Half-Life 2 mod called Dystopia. The game is set in a cyberpunk future, and you play as a member of one of two warring factions (Punks and Corps) battling for control of various multiplayer maps. Each map has multiple objectives, either defending or attacking.
What makes the game unique is that capturing or defending objectives often requires players to hack into a 3-dimensional cyberspace environment, where the conventional laws of physics don’t necessarily apply; you can walk on walls and ceilings, gain momentum without air resistance, and use cybergrenades to launch yourself obscene distances across virtual landscapes.
The game portion outside of cyberspace is referred to as “meatspace”, where the laws of physics DO apply. Fortunately, meatspace is pretty forgiving; fall damage only affects your health bar a small percent, unless of course you fall into a bottomless pit. Obviously, one wouldn’t expect future soldiers with cybernetic implants and prostheses to take much damage from a fall.
And the implants. The developers of Dystopia took great lengths to provide players with all sorts of options as far as enhancements and abilities for players, adding a very strategic element to the game play. Depending on what type of player you choose (light, medium, or heavy) you have different levels of modifications. Lights can equip any implant, and can have several, including a modification that turns them nearly invisible to the naked eye (but an experienced opponent will know to be on the lookout for tell-tale heat shimmer refractions, at which point they might turn on their infrared vision). Mediums and heavies are slower and have less implant slots than their light counterparts, but make up for it with better armor, strength, and endurance. Still other modifications allow for hacking, sound wave tracking, and team-assisting radar.
Kill-stealing is not a big issue in the latest version of the game; if you have done the bulk of the damage to a particular enemy and then another player delivers the fatal blow, that player will be awarded the kill but you will be awarded more points than they will. This reward system even works if you died before the kill was made, so you are always rewarded appropriately. In general, the points system in the game is meticulously fair, reflecting well on the developers’ level of attention to detail.
Dystopia’s point system interfaces directly with a universal statistics system, which tracks player rank and accomplishments. Player rank is calculated across a 60-day rolling window of time, so the dedicated player, no matter how fresh, has a fair chance of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with players who have been playing since the original beta demo.
That said, a defining feature of Dystopia is that it is very difficult to master. This can often be discouraging to new players who may have been experts at games like Counter-Strike. Many new users complain that the game is too difficult, especially if they get killed repeatedly by near-invisible stealthers. Still other new players find that playing in the game’s cyberspace environment is challenging at best, and mind-numbingly sadistic at worst. It is an unfortunate fact that many newbies “ragequit” before giving the game a proper chance, and the presence of the occasional elitist player in pub games does not help matters.
Fortunately, a number of servers feature regular players who will help new players out, and there is a general understanding among seasoned veterans that Dystopia needs as many fresh players as possible. A multitude of empty pubs serves as a constant reminder of this. Additionally, the developers of the game have pledged to keep it 100% free, so server costs are paid for with the help of supporter donations. About a week ago, I sent in my one-time donation of $10, which gives me access to future test builds as they are released. It may be a while yet though before the next build of the game comes out; there was a 2+ year period between version 1.1 and the newly-released version 1.2, but the changes made were very dramatic, polished, and worthwhile. At the very least, the game recognizes my contribution in the form of a dollar-sign-in-heart icon next to my name, in-game and on the forums/online stats site.
I sincerely hope that you give this mod a try. It’s a true gem, and Dystopia needs new players.
And here’s a little inside joke-type Dystopia humor that I made in Photoshop, for your enjoyment:
