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Welcome to a ValveTime Spotlight look at the Half-Life Alpha from 1997.
We'll be taking a look what was cut from the final game
and what survived to the final release of Half-Life in 1998.
Only last week did we see Geoff Keighley produce a picture
of a Half-Life alpha disc from 1997.
This week has seen the content from another copy materialize on the web, version 0.52.
So what does it contain?
Firstly, we should begin by saying this version of Half-Life 1 was before
the so-called 'big change' instigated in late 1997,
whereby Gabe decided the game needed a major rework.
Ken Birdwell is quoted as saying,
Generally the thread of the Half-Life we know can be found running through the alpha.
For example, the objective in the Alpha is for a scientist to escape the facility
by trying to reach the surface,
with many maps along the way having been recycled into Half-Life 1.
Kicking off the chapters is "The Portal Device,"
later to be own as "Unforeseen Consequences."
Not quite the resonance cascade but Half-Life was to start slightly differently
according to the Half-Life Synopsis file included in the alpha.
An included walkthrough guide states the disaster effects for the portal device
had yet to be added to this version of the game at this time.
Next is "The Office Warrens," or "Office Complex" from Half-Life 1.
This chapter should look quite familiar you;
it hasn't changed a great deal really.
The maps are larger with more floors, puzzles, vent crawling, and action sequences.
Following that is the "Security Complex,"
or "We've Got Hostiles," which is definitely a better name.
It is certainly a chapter which improved drastically in Half-Life 1.
The alpha version is full of puzzles and platforming sections,
which is an even more frustrating example than Xen in Half-Life.
The "Alien Research Lab" is next, another somewhat droll name.
"Questionable Ethics" is what it became known as later.
The map is essentially a skynet facility lab built by the invading aliens.
The objective in Half-Life to get 2 scientists to the lobby area
to open a door surprisingly exists in the original alpha as well.
"Communication Center" is probably the best piece of work in the alpha,
with an engaging story and backtracking through the map
just like parts of the finished article.
This later became "Lambda Complex" and "Uplink."
"Reactor Lab," the final map is just like "Lambda Complex,"
with the same layout and objectives, including the flooding of the reactor core.
Now let's take a look at the enemies.
Firstly, what's missing?
Zombies aren't included at all, although headcrabs are.
No barnacles, assassins, gargantuans, gonarchs, or alien slaves to name a few others.
In the demo files exist a grunt assault enemy--
essentially a grunt with a mini-gun.
Intended as a mini-boss, they were to appear throughout the game
with the ability to call for back-up.
Another cut enemy from Half-Life was the panthereye,
a larger and more dangerous alien than the houndeye
which didn't make it far in development as it has no AI in the alpha
and was cut soon after.
Modding has always been important for Valve and it began here.
Worldcraft was a shareware map editor for the Quake Engine
before Valve purchased a license for the engine.
The alpha disc provides a full working version of Worldcraft
that you can use to make maps for the Half-Life Alpha.
We hypothesize that the edited toolset included
was originally built for the pre-cursor game to Half-Life 1, Prospero.
The version included is pretty awful;
Valve's Yahn Bernier certainly paved the way for the future
in the development of the BSP format for maps in Hammer.
Finally, the alpha does also include multiplayer.
Half-Life: Deathmatch in its simplest form comes with a crowbar, glock, and MP5.
The map you can see is an early version of Stalkyard,
what came to be one of the most remembered and played maps in Half-Life: Deathmatch.
You can find links in the description to download the alpha yourself.
It's amazing after all these years we're able to go back to the roots
of Valve's journey with Half-Life and see how it began.
Stay tuned in the near future as we go back even farther
and take a closer look at Prospero, the game which became Half-Life.
Thanks for watching and bye for now.