Action Half-Life

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Action Half-life

Developer(s)	The A-team (Akimbo Team Productions, LLC)
Publisher(s)	N/A
Engine	Goldsrc
Version	2.0 (October 25, 2003)
Platform(s)	PC
Release date	1999
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	N/A
System requirements	500 MHz processor, 96 MB RAM
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse

Action Half-Life (abbreviated AHL) is a mod for the award-winning first-person shooter computer game Half-Life. It strives to simulate action movies, especially those directed by John Woo.

1 Development
2 Features
3 Gameplay
4 Weapons
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Development

Led by Dwayne 'Oddjob' Douglass, Action Half-Life went through several beta versions before being released as version 1.0 in 1999. It originally had several lead programmers involved, but Stuart 'Payback' Crouch coded the last few betas leading to v1.0 (which was meant to be the final one).

AHL:Directors Cut, however, is a project started by the Ministry of Action. While this project isn't supported by the A-Team themselves, it has been authorized. Their goal is to take the best features of previous versions to create a final "Director's cut". This includes improving overall accessibility, weapon behavior, and content. The number of players who actively play Action Half-life has waned recently, and this is something the Ministry of Action team hopes to rectify.

The latest version of Action Half-life is Action Half-life: Director's Cut - Release Candidate 2 (RC2). RC3 is currently in development (as of June 2007) and is being touted as the final version of AHL:DC.

[edit] Features

Action Half-life has a stunt system similar to the one found in Max Payne, introduced in Action beta 3.0 long before Max Payne was released. It was also the first Half-Life mod to feature akimbo pistols (although they are treated as one weapon). Furthermore, it pioneered several graphic enhancements to the Half-Life engine, including the visible laser sight and wall debris. Action Half-life also has support for a single player mode. Some unique features in this mode include a move called "Adrenaline Rush", which is similar to Bullet Time.

Another noted aspect of Action Half-life is the inclusion of several hidden areas that are housed in many of its maps, especially those created by famed map designer Hondo. One map in particular ("5 AM") requires the cooperation of multiple players to access and complete. It is in fact much bigger than the main portion of the map.

A more recent feature addition is the walljumps that were added in Release Candidate 2.

Action Half-Life is the second official mod in the "Action" computer game series. The first was Action Quake 2 and the third was Action Unreal Tournament 2004. There is also a similar mod called Half-life 2: Distraction that utilizes the Source engine. The team of this project consists mainly of fans of AQ2, AHL and The Specialists.

[edit] Gameplay

The object of game is very similar to Half-life: kill or be killed.

At the start of a round, you must choose a Single Pistol, Unique Weapon, and Special Item. Unlike the buy menu in Counter-strike, these weapons are free and have limited ammunition, which makes tactical usage crucial.

In addition to the usual Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, a round based game-mode called "Last Man Standing" is also available, which can be described as either Deathmatch without respawning or Teamplay with everyone on their own team. This is very similar to a mode in Unreal Tournament, which also has a game-mode called "Last Man Standing", but players are allowed to respawn multiple times per round.

Though previously broken by Valve updates, Action Half-Life (as of Director's Cut Release Candidate 2) has seen the return of goalplay. A server can set goal maps (typically identified by an ahlg_ prefix in the mapname) to be played as normal (with the cvar: mp_nogoals 1), or to allow the goalplay to take effect (mp_nogoals 0). The Ministry of Action re-worked old goal maps' entities to work with the fixed goal code. Though some of the goal code still seems buggy (as of RC2), it remains functional for implementing goals in maps. Some examples of goalplay in the official maps include VIP escort (ahlg_wikkedcity_dc, ahlg_metro_dc), NPC assassination (ahlg_wikkedkorp, ahlg_plexharbour, ahlg_urban_riot_dc, ahlg_engholm_dc), bomb setting (ahlg_actionrail_dc), and bomb defusal (ahlg_onslaught2_dc). The goal code is designed to allow for mapper-imagined goalplay, rather than stock goals, such as those used in Counter-strike (where mappers have predefined hostage and defusion-related entities).

[edit] Weapons

Single Pistols	Unique Weapons	Special Items
Beretta	Akimbo Berettas	Bandolier
Magnum	Akimbo Colts	Flashlight
Colt 1911	Akimbo SAA	Laser Sight
Desert Eagle	Handcannon	Night Vision Goggles
Colt SAA	Shotgun	Silencer
	Sub-machinegun	Stealth Slippers
	Assault Rifle	Armor Vest
	SemiAuto Sniper Rifle	Quick-draw Holster
	50 cal. Sniper Rifle	Grenade
	Knives