Peer Review, Guard Duty & Operation Black Mesa; upcoming Source remakes for old HL1 expansions

[Tinbe]

What it says on the tin, Guard Duty and Operation Black Mesa are planned to be Source remakes for Blue Shift and Opposing Force, expansions to the original Half-Life game. In the making by Tripmine Studio, these games are kinda like buddies to Black Mesa made by different devs. No defined release date yet, but they made a new thread a few hours ago as to keep people updated on the progress.
Enjoy.
I'd put more stuff here for display, but I reckon most of the prior media is old and doesn't represent the current state of progress. Have some bits I nabbed out of the thread linked above. For the sake of not stretching the post too much, I put the cavalcade of images in spoiler tags.

Spoiler: Screenshots of maps

Edit:
A third participant enters the fray.
Peer Review
A remake of the co-op expansion, Half-Life: Decay.

After a routine experiment goes catastrophically wrong, Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green must fight to survive the aftermath of the Black Mesa Incident.

Peer Review is a reimagining of Half-Life's third and final expansion, Half-Life: Decay. Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility and relive the chaos from the perspectives of Dr. Cross and Dr. Green. With all missions from the original game and fully functional co-op, Peer Review aims to give a fresh take on classic Half-Lifet hat you can enjoy with a friend.

The project seems to have started roughly half a year ago, so things are much more work-in-progress than its compatriots, Guard Duty and Operation Black Mesa. Still, there's a lot of potential to be had here, so it'd be great to keep tabs on this one as well.

Spoiler: Some samples of WIP that they've worked on

 

[Deadpool]

Good to see these games arent dead in the water and still make progress. Thanks for the update

 

[steve maxwell]

I wonder how Race X will look like in Operation Black mesa?

 

[Tinbe]

I wonder how Race X will look like in Operation Black mesa?

The summer update showed couple of the Race X aliens among the pictures, albeit not from a close-up view.

Voltigore seems similar to the model showcased in one video eight years back.

So it's likely that these are placeholder models from the time years back in the mod development. This appears even more evident in their recruitment thread, though whether the situation has changed since this was posted 2 years ago, I know not.

Spoiler: 3D Organic modelling

DESCRIPTION

As a 3D organic modeler, you will help reimagine the classic creatures from the Half-Life universe in HD detail andfidelity not even conceivable in the original games. From sculpting to texturing, the design of flora and fauna of theBlack Mesa Research Facility and Xen will rest on your shoulders.

RESPONSIBILITES

• Sculpting high-poly 3D organic models for humanoids and diverse monsters.
• Baking high-poly models to game ready low poly assets.• Texturing models produced so they are compatible with the Source Engine.
• Manage multiple 3D models at any point in time.
• Work closely with game designers, animators, and programmers to creatively solve problems as they arise in thedevelopment cycle of game mechanics and entities.
• Troubleshooting of animation problems as they arise.

REQUIREMENTS

• Able to create both high and low poly organic 3D models.
• Able to texture models created to a professional level for use in the Source Engine.• Familiar with source control (SVN, Git, or equivalent).
• Experience with Maya, 3DS max, Blender, or equivalent modeling software.
• Experience with Photoshop or equivalent 2D texturing software.
• Ability to create clean UV maps for models created, which are readable by other team members.
• Dedicated and able to work with a team.• Previous experience in 3D modeling 2D texturing (samples and portfolio pieces are REQUIRED).
• Experience with the Source Engine (branch does not matter) is a big plus.
• Experience with the Hammer World Editor (branch does not matter) is a big plus.
• Ability to put in regular hours to accomplish tasks as required.

 

[ddæ]

blue shift isn't in the dumps after all?

thought it got shelved after developer issues

but those weapon models really really suck to be honest

 

[Tinbe]

blue shift isn't in the dumps after all?

thought it got shelved after developer issues

but those weapon models really really suck to be honest

Operation Black Mesa and Guard Duty were separate project at first, IIRC, and later the two dev teams merged. There might've been another Blue Shift remake being in the works that was canned, I have a distant memory of hearing about two separate projects for Blue Shift.

 

[Tinbe]

Bit of a daring bump to show off some of the new videos from tripmineteam's YT channel.
First up, some animations for the M4A1

Then we've got some new modifiers for sounds for different room types, plus explosives sound off in four different manners depending on the distance.

And lastly we've got some gas cylinder interactivity. Shooting one makes it propel based on where the bullet lands. They've got two types of gas cylinders, "safe gas" ones that don't explode, and, well, ones that explode. There's also a ton of visual variety - both for a scuffed, old look and new, cleaner one and varying colors for the cylinders and caps/valves on top of them.

 

[Tinbe]

Here's a New Year's update from the devs!
And here's some media highlights:

Gargantua concept art:

Shot of the 'Captive Freight'

Some more gun display

 

[Tinbe]

A third participant enters the fray.
Peer Review
A remake of the co-op expansion, Half-Life: Decay.

After a routine experiment goes catastrophically wrong, Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green must fight to survive the aftermath of the Black Mesa Incident.

Peer Review is a reimagining of Half-Life's third and final expansion, Half-Life: Decay. Return to the Black Mesa Research Facility and relive the chaos from the perspectives of Dr. Cross and Dr. Green. With all missions from the original game and fully functional co-op, Peer Review aims to give a fresh take on classic Half-Lifet hat you can enjoy with a friend.

The project seems to have started roughly half a year ago, so things are much more work-in-progress than its compatriots, Guard Duty and Operation Black Mesa. Still, there's a lot of potential to be had here, so it'd be great to keep tabs on this one as well.
Some samples of WIP that they've worked on

[doublepost=1559709327][/doublepost]Mind you, these aren't content released just this summer; this work is back from November-December of last year, but it's the most recent I could see.

 

[Tinbe]

Oh, seems like I missed by about a month.
July 2019 media update (go check the full thing, what I have below is just a cursory overview)
Media highlights:

Spoiler: Models (to replace prior placeholders from HL2/CSS/CSGO)

Made by N3XZUS, Oscilloscope, Oscilloscope and EvilGoodGuy

Progress on "The Package" by The Comedian

Same for "We are pulling out" by Chris

Closing statements

There is much, much more we want to share with you, but we’d rather keep it behind the curtains until a better occasion arises.

When the time comes we'd like to share more general progress with you, as well as address some engine improvements we’re going to implement. Stay tuned!

To close this update, we would like to thank you for your patience. We know the updates are scarce, but we work as hard as possible on the game and we’d rather spend our resources and time on that, instead of doing more frequent updates. However, we are never completely silent and we will be happy to get in touch with you through Twitter, Facebook or our official forum.

Spoiler: Have a Humvee

By MrJack

Oh, and also

If you have some spare time on your hands and skills that may be valuable, please check out our openings. We are always looking for passionate and talented people to help us complete this project!

 

[Rabid]

M o i s t

 

[Tinbe]

Been a while since I bumped this, but I figured I'd update for the Christmas spirit. A double whammy for both Operation Black Mesa and Peer Review. I'll mostly put juicy media stuff here, so you boys and girls better check the posts in-length from their appropriate sources.

Operation Black Mesa
https://tripminestudios.com/community/index.php?thread/2515-opposing-force-anniversary-update-part-2

Besides the progress we have shown, we are taking off on voice acting and programmers are also working very hard on many features and improvements to source engine. We cannot wait to see how that will turn out as some of these are very exciting and ambitious things that we are cooking up.

Our 3D organic artists are working around the clock to pump out characters for us. It´s still a department that could use a bit more love, so if you are or someone you know is a skilled 3D organic artist, don´t hesitate to apply. Of course, we are still looking to fill other positions too. The best is to check a list of currently available positions. That link should guide you very well through the application process, just follow it.

We are about to close this update, but.... We might have even more exciting things for you quite soon, who knows

. Definitely stay tuned. And if you haven´t done that yet, you should join our recently launched Discord channel. And do not forget about Twitter, Facebook and Steam group !

Peer Review
https://www.moddb.com/mods/peer-review/news/alpha-1-phase-1-update

And here's some video stuff
https://www.moddb.com/mods/peer-review/videos/m4a1-animation-demo-reel

Discord & Twitter
We’re cautiously happy to launch the obligatory Official Peer Review Discord Server! God help us all! This is where you can communicate with the team and do all that other fun stuff you do in Discord servers, you know the drill.

In addition to that, we’ve gone ahead and set up a Twitter account. Follow @PSRDigital for miscellaneous tidbits and updates about our project and team members!

...

Recruitment
A reimagining is an ambitious undertaking, especially when you’re trying to make something like Half-Life: Decay actually good. For that we’ve got some team expansion to do! Do you have a friend or relative that would make a valuable addition to PSR? Or are you that friend or relative? Either way, if you’ve got some skills or know someone who does that you think might suit our cause, head on over to our application form or ModDB Jobs page and have a look. We’re interested in nearly every position, especially level designers and organic 3D artists. PSR is a friendly, organized team, so if that and the project sound like your thing, send in those applications!

Apply here!

That’s what we’ve got for now! It’s still quite early in development but things are coming along well and we’ll be sure to keep you guys in the know. We’re excited to show off more work later on, and hope you guys are interested and excited. We’ll try not to stay silent for so long next time. See ya!

Love,

PSR Digital <333

 

[Tinbe]

Peer Review just released one of its new, quarterly status updates.
https://www.moddb.com/mods/peer-review/news/quarterly-updates-begin
Here's some media highlights, but I implore you to go read out the stuff in detail by clicking the link above.

Also, this:

Finally, we're recruiting for most positions! We could really use more level designers, character artists, programmers and character animators in particular, though most non-audio positions are open, too. If you're interested in volunteering for our team, or know someone who might be, head over to this form here to apply! This game isn't gonna make itself, as hard as we try to make that happen. Lend us your souls!

And just a reminder, both Operation Black Mesa/Guard Duty and Peer Review have their own Discord servers, where you can look at the development even closer. Just don't be idiots over there, please.

 

[Matty]

when u solo keep a thread alive for 2 years

 

[Tinbe]

Tripmine Studios just dropped a big status update on Opposing Force and Guard Duty.
Hell, I can't even pick out a small assortment of goodies to preview for this post. There's so much excellent shit in there that you need to see it for yourself in its entirety.

 

[Tinbe]

Looks like Peer Review's right behind with their own summer update!
Gotta say, legendary opening paragraph right here.

Yo yo, what's up, Gs? And Ls, Bs, Ts, and the rest of ya. Happy pride month! Yeah, it's a bit late, but can ya blame us? We promised quarterly updates, and we wanted the Q2 update to be earlier, but after posting our Q1 update, the following quarter promptly exploded. We're sure you've noticed.

Needless to say, our team isn't immune to the world descending into madness, given that we're some of the idiots that live in it. Usually madness is our forte but things have been next-level.

Progress the last few months has been on the slower side, what with the free sample apocalypse. There were even some signs of team-wide burnout, so we took a "break," from our usual development cycle, something we do whenever we notice overall productivity is down. That said, internal deadlines have been adjusted and we've resumed development as usual. Back to the old grind!

...

Unfortunately, we still don’t have a strong character art department, however that hasn’t stopped us from having a look at eyes! None of us are immune to proper ganders, so here’s some assorted eyeballs for your viewing pleasure. It’s a small touch, but at least irises aren’t a blurry mess as they are in stock Source.

...

Remember our talk about Art Studies last update? Well we’ve been at work on others, as well. Have a look at this art study for Crossfire!

Finally, Jupiter’s been whacking away at his midi keys and DAWs and MP3s and NWAs as usual. Have another track, there’s plenty more where it came from!

Putting closing marks into their own quote, since it brings up important stuff

Venturing towards the more personal area, we have a community Discord server because it's 2020 and you haven't joined enough servers yet! Over here we talk about development, both for Peer Review and in general, as well as random chatter. A community member recently got new kittens. Jupiter made a Minecraft bunny farm. You're missing out on so much. Talk with the devs, talk with other Half-Life/Decay lovers, and have a nice time!

Another avenue we've got is Twitter. Here we post updates, sometimes share content that doesn't make it to ModDB, and share neato fan art!

Remember when we mentioned we don’t have a full character art department? Moments ago? Well, that’s still true. Perhaps you’re a character artist or know one? Or heck, maybe you’re not a character artist, but are a pretty decent level designer, 3D artist, programmer, whathaveyou. We’re in super desperate need of character and concept artists, but we’ve got space for pretty much every department except audio-based and writing. If you love Half-Life: Decay (doubtful) or hate it enough to wanna make it better like us, feel free to check out the application form and give the team a shot!

As a side note, if you’ve applied in the past and haven’t heard from us, our bad! We’ve got a small little backlog during our break. There may be a slight delay in hearing back from us if you’re a new applicant, but rest assured we’ll try to keep it timely!

Finally, we feed off hearing your thoughts. If you've got any comments, questions or cries of outrage, either against us or your local virus or police force, feel free to post them below! Hearing you guys' feedback helps give us motivation to keep going and go faster.

See you all next quarter!

 

[deathwolf]

honestly so excited for all 3

 

[Tinbe]

Smaller update this time, showcasing gibbing in Operation Black Mesa/Guard Duty.

No, I myself don't know if they'll change the Alien Grunt model.

 

[Deleted member 1381]

they should collaborate with crowbar collective to polish the game. for me at least my expectations for a hl1+expansions remake have been set to black mesa standard in regards to graphics/weapon models

the weapon models give me hdtf vibes and the graphics in the op look a little rough around the edges/cartoonish. still going to be a great remake i have no doubt but if they could be on the black mesa level of remake it'd be a dream come true

 

[Tinbe]

And now, comes the third quarterly update for Peer Review! I'll put the thing in its entirety within quotes, just because I can.

What's poppin'? Hopefully you’ve been well, masking up and keeping safe. Welcome to the third quarterly update of Hell Year 2020! We’ve been hacking away as usual (in the “working” way, not the “painful lungs” way, mostly) and progress this quarter has been quite nice.

One of the most important bits of progress we’ve made this quarter is that, after many months of research, we’ve finally figured out a way to implement a functioning save/load system into the game! Gone will be the days of your idiot twin brother dying at the end of Resonance, forcing you to replay the whole mission for the 12th time. This system has been a particularly large technical hurdle as it turns out that multiplayer loading systems in the Source SDK are a bigger pain than you’d expect. (We had to re-implement a large chunk of the engine’s singleplayer save code ourselves and even do a little bit of memory manipulation to bypass some annoying engine restrictions that Valve put in place for multiplayer mode.) DKY’s been tearing his hair out, but now that he’s gotten the system working, he can finally take a breath of fresh air. The new system is currently in prototype, and we’ll be rigorously testing it in the coming months to work out the bugs and polish it to a usable state.

We also recently picked up two new concept artists! Rory - responsible for the awesome header art up above - has been blasting through various 2D art tasks, while France has been kicking butt in the character art department. The latter churned out this old grump.

You can check out some more of her work here. For example, to top it off, this is a friendly reminder to be kind to, and thank your maintenance pals!

Rory’s also been picking up some concept art! The Displacement Beacon plays an important role in Peer Review, so she’s been helping flesh out ideas on that front.

Also in the 2D department, we’ve been busy whipping up some material recreations! Many of the environment types and by extensions textures we create are unique to Peer Review, but given that this is, y’know, a reimagining, often we find a need for some updated classics. Have a peak at some of Chris’s recent creations!

It’s always nice to see how far tech has progressed since Half-Life’s original release! We have a 1k texture standard, whereas Half-Life typically hovered around 128px. That means if you put our textures next to the OGs using the same scale, it looks about like this:

On the level design side of things, some of you may be aware that before Peer Review, our team was known for developing and releasing the mod Black Mesa: Hazard Course, a modern re-imagining of Half-Life’s “Hazard Course” level as an add-on to Black Mesa. Well, fans of the Black Mesa Hazard Course mod can rejoice, as Peer Review’s "Hazardous Course" level brings players back to the award-winning, critically-acclaimed masterpiece from PSR's spry young years as a dev team. Just as well, haters of the Black Mesa Hazard Course mod can rejoice, as "Hazardous Course" depicts the Black Mesa Hazard Course in total ruins, crushed under the resounding dust and echoes of defeat.

The more keen-eyed of you may think you’ve spotted some BMS content above, but fear not! These are our own renditions of those materials, created specifically for continuity with our previous project in this mission. Those assets, nor any other BMS-based content will not be utilized in other areas of Peer Review. We stand on our own shoulders, thank you. Seriously, our chiropractors hate us.

Onto the more auditory side of things, you know Jupiter's been busy as always. Some of you may know him for his 8-bit bops, but between those thicc chirps he throws down phat beats to go along with the sound of HECU heads splitting open. Have an ear-look at another track he's whipped up for us!

Our artists have also been busy in the 3D department as always. From pipes to sandbags to tents, there’s always new 3D work happening, which is one of the fun things about making a 3D game. Have yourself a gander at Notewell’s sentry gun! Remember meee for sentriiieeees! This bad boy will swiss the absolute hell out of your cheese.

Lastly, we’ve given our viewmodel arms a material upgrade! These babies can take more hazardous environments than you can shake a crowbar at.

As for non-media related stuff;

That’s all for the media! Wanna hear from us more often? Perhaps you have a pressing desire to ask us about the cut missions for the thousandth time, or maybe you drew a cute Colette Green and wanna show us? We have a Discord server for that! Come chat about Peer Review, Half-Life, game dev, or really anything. It’s a friendly, safe space for everyone and hardly anyone ever gets stalked!

If another Discord server is a little too much engagement for your liking, we also have a Twitter profile. We share random tidbits our team members post, as well as cool stuff from the Half-Life community.

As I’m sure you could guess, this project is hella ambitious, so we need all the help we can get! Right now we’ve got open slots for every non-audio/writing position. In particular we’d love some character modelers because, well…

Dr. Keller isn't gonna make himself! So if you’ve got some game dev skills and are looking for a project to claw away at your spare time go ahead and apply for the team using this form.

Lastly, as always, we love hearing back from you. Your comments are a big motivation, so if you've got any comments, questions, cries of outrage, confessions of an undying love for us that is unfortunately unrequited, or really anything, we appreciate the feedback!

Catch you all in December!