DEV-blog # 01 (2025)

WELCOME TO BLACK MESA - LASER PUZZLE

In this little dev. blog about the construction of the laser level, we would like to give an insight into the collaboration of our work and the construction of a level in which Opposing force first real puzzle was introduced: the laser puzzle.

To finish this within a limited time of 1 months, a group of several developers were brought together into a dedicated project team. In the original game, the puzzle consists of a few lasers with an iconic colour: green and purple, and the player is challenged to explore their surroundings. During a brainstorming session, it soon became clear that there was a need for a more elaborate puzzle so that the player could make more use of his surroundings to get to the next environment. The idea was to move the lasers through a few locations so that there would be several options to get to a solution.

With this idea, a smaller project team was formed to work out the puzzle together and so that others could continue working on other tasks. The project team consists of a level designer, an artist with knowledge of Vscripts to limit the number of entities in the level, some environment artists to work out the different models and textures, and a sound designer to make the sounds for the lasers. A dedicated chat allows for easy consultation and adjustment.

LANDER

Hey! My name is Lander, and I have been working as a level designer and sky-artist for Tripmine Studios for several years now. For the level with the laser, I was in charge of finishing and detailing the level, creating some lens flares for the lasers, and managing the project team. During the fine collaboration with my fellow developers, we were able to make rapid progress and finish this puzzle on short notice. The lens flares add more depth to the visual effect of the lasers. Also, the detailing and finishing of details such as decals/overlays/light effects/... adds to the atmosphere of the level. I aimed for a relatively dark environment to make the lasers stand out more, helping new players recognize their importance in this level.

To limit the number of entities in Hammer (source engine), Tyler used VScript. This is a convenient and powerful way to execute different commands without incorporating many separate entities into the level.

While experimenting with the features of the puzzle, a separate test-level was created so that both the level and the puzzle could be worked on in parallel. The contour of the level was recreated in the test-level so that the correct distances were obtained. Afterwards, the puzzle was put together in the final level. During the creation of the level, a lot of reference material was collected. Both via the internet and in a real lab. By analysing the different facets of a real optical laser test chamber, we were able to take the level to a new level.

BEAN

Hi! I'm Bean. I was recently brought onto the team for texture and model work. For the laser level, I was tasked with creating the textures for the laser emitter, the lasers themselves, as well as modeling the mirrors for the puzzle. A fellow member of the team Jancias provided some excellent real-life references which helped me keep an artistic cohesion between the two separate entities. The mirror models themselves were my first real attempt at hard surface modeling, and I think they turned out pretty well all things considered.

TYLER

Hey there! My name is Tyler, I go by magmasloth online, and I was responsible for laying out the laser lab puzzle. Lander (Comedian) had pitched the idea that we do a little media update for July, and towards the beginning of June we agreed on the laser lab as a visually appealing area to finish up. It was in a pretty rough state though, so we sprinted to finish everything up by the deadline. I started by blocking out an orange dev map where I began working out the mechanics of the laser. We knew we wanted more intractability with the puzzle, with the possibility of unlocking a secret area that I won't disclose the details of. ;) I asked if anyone wanted to help me with the laser models while I focused on the mechanics of the puzzle, and thankfully my team-mates jumped on board. Jancias took on the laser itself, referencing high-powered lasers used in laser labs which he has experience with. Bean took on the reflectors, and textured both models. Marius Maximus whipped up the control cabinet that the laser cuts into, and everyone really pulled through when it came to crunch time. I made a beam splitter prism which the player can rotate using a knob, to redirect the beam which branches off of it. These are really cool in real life, they have a transparent yet reflective property which allows a beam of light to pass through, while simultaneously reflecting the light in a new direction as well.

I initially had trouble setting this up with the entities provided in Hammer alone, and I soon realized I'd need to leverage the power of vscript to customize the behavior of this feature. For each beam-splitter, one script checks if the laser beam hits an invisible trigger brush and if so will turn on a second laser that acts as the split beam. A second script then references a dial the player can use, and rotates the prism within a given range that the second laser is parented to. I also modelled a laser control desk with a busted variant once it explodes, a holographic black mesa logo, and prior to that, I had modelled several other environment details you'll see in the background, mostly industrial and electrical props. Brandon got this section of the map into excellent condition with some fine architecture and a texture and lighting pass to start, and then passed it on to Lander who then really refined the lighting, added blinking lights to the consoles, particle systems for the sprinklers, and set up the logic for the explosions and alarms. He also embellished the environment art of the map with plenty of props and details, and then handed it over to me. This is where I added in my working puzzle from my dev map, set up the logic for breaking the mirror and turning off the lasers, and added a few more environment details to the map. I'm pretty happy with the results, it's a lot of fun when we focus together on an area and leverage our unique talents.

MARIUS

Greetings. My name is Marius. Like some of the others here, I also have joined Tripmine Studios fairly recently. My extreme passion for Half-Life games and for modding video games made it a no-brainer to apply to Tripmine Studios. I am an experienced modder that has been active for more than 14 years in the Battlefield 2 modding community. However, the transition to Source modding has been an interesting journey and has proven to be a fun challenge. I was able to adapt many of my skills over to the Source engine, but I was also required to learn many more. As an environment artist, for this room I was tasked to work on various console models. Working collaboratively on this room was really fun. We tried to stick as close to the source material as possible, while providing a refreshed look, and I do think we have succeeded in that goal. Due to being new in the team, stay tuned to see more of my work in the coming months, as well as more work from my talented colleagues.

PETER

Hello, my name is Peter - more commonly known as Jancias. I was likewise recently brought onto the team, but as a level designer. For this particular map, I found myself in a familiar environment as I'm currently studying at a university, and have had experience with Photonics and laser technology. I provided the team with some reference images from my campus, and even created a new model for the laser emitter. I've gotten slightly rusty with the tools, but I think it turned out pretty good.

CONCLUSION

More work from other talented developers is, of course, present in this level. The layout was created by the highly skilled former developer Chris Onorati, with Brandon Smith later expanding on his work. But it's not just about what you see—it’s also about what you hear. Sound design plays an important role, and what you hear has been crafted by our talented sound designer KAON, with contributions from former sound designers as well.

Hopefully, this gives you more insight into our way of working and the different aspects involved in creating a level. We enjoyed experimenting with smaller project teams and are currently exploring ways to implement this approach further.Before saying goodbye (for now), we will be more than happy to engage with you all on our Discord server. Even though our team is expanding, we are still looking for more talented individuals to help us out with the project. The more talented developers on board, the faster we will be able to deliver the game we work on so passionately. If interested in joining our team, don´t hesitate to reach out on our Discord server.

We hope to share more dev blogs with you soon. Thanks, and see you again!

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