GoldenEye: Source
| GoldenEye: Source | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Team GoldenEye: Source |
| Publisher(s) | Team GoldenEye: Source |
| Engine | Source |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
GoldenEye: Source is a total conversion mod developed using Valve's Source engine. GoldenEye: Source is a multiplayer remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 video game GoldenEye 007, itself based on the James Bond film GoldenEye.[1][2][3]
Gameplay
 Goldeneye: Source gameplay footage. |
GoldenEye: Source is an online multiplayer arena first-person shooter that aims to provide a faithful and also expanded re-creation of GoldenEye 007's multiplayer including additional game modes, re-creations of single-player levels that were not originally accessible in GoldenEye 007's multiplayer modes, and weapons which were only accessible using cheats.
Matches take place on individual levels which are divided into several rounds, each round lasts a number of minutes and typically whichever player or team with the highest score at the end of the round will win that round. However the player or team with the most cumulative score at the end of the match will ultimately win once the map time expires.
Each player has a radar display on their screen which shows in real-time the relative position of other players in the match. In game modes which have objectives or special pick-ups such as the Golden Gun players are identified on the radar with a corresponding color. The radar is a central aspect of the gameplay as the tracking of enemy positions is important for avoiding combat in undesirable situations as well as capitalizing on other players' dispositions.
Weapon selection
Unlike many arena first-person shooters, GoldenEye: Source does not have set weapons on each level. Instead a different weapon set will populate the many weapon spawns and corresponding ammunition pick-ups around the map on each round. Weapon spawns have a value of 1 to 8, to which weapon sets of 8 preset weapons will be assigned. There are numerous weapon sets available in the game as well as the capability for players and server hosts to create their own.
Game modes
- Arsenal: A free-for-all mode where players start with the most powerful weapon in the game and for each single kill they are forced to use progressively weaker weapons until the final weapon, the hunting knife. Whoever kills with the final weapon wins the round. Melee kills will deduct a point from opponents and set them back one weapon.
- Capture The Key: A non-traditional take on Capture The Flag. Each team is assigned an area of the map to be their base, in which they must defend their token from the enemy team whilst attempting to retrieve the other team's token and return it to their base. The team with the most captures when the time limit is reached wins.
- Deathmatch: Classic free-for-all combat where the winner is whoever has the most kills when the time runs out.
- License To Kill: Similar to Deathmatch with the exception that every weapon will kill an opponent in a single hit. Typically the radar is disabled during this game mode.
- Living Daylights: A certain number of flags are spawned around the map, when a player picks one up they start to accumulate points, get a slight speed boost, and can no longer use any weapon except for the flag as a melee weapon. Hitting and killing other players with the flag allows for point stealing. Picking up weapons, ammunition and armor allows for quicker point scoring. The goal is to have the most points at the end of the road.
- Man With The Golden Gun: Similar to Deathmatch except one of the weapons on the map is replaced by the Golden Gun, a single shot pistol which kills enemies in a single hit. Anybody who picks up the Golden Gun is marked on the radar, themselves receiving a reduced radar range, and are limited to a single armor pick-up as penalties. Each round the location of the Golden Gun is changed. Possession of the Golden Gun is not required for victory as the goal is to have the most kills when the time runs out.
- You Only Live Twice: Similar to Deathmatch except that during each round every player is limited to two respawns after being killed.
Many of the game modes are compatible with teamplay which is usually enabled on the following round after a certain threshold of players in a server is passed. Otherwise it can be manually turned on and off by the server administrator.
Development
Development of GoldenEye: Source began in 2005, led by founder Nicholas "Nickster" Bishop until his suicide by charcoal inhalation on May 24, 2006 at the age of 27. Bishop left a suicide note stating his interest in discovering the afterlife.[4] The alpha version of the game was released on December 26, 2005. After years in beta the first official version was released on December 10, 2010. The team continued to work on the mod to this day in dedication of his memory, with version 5.0 being released on August 12, 2016.[5][6]
Level design
There are two fundamental types of level in GoldenEye: Source; "Classic" and "Neo". Classic maps are faithful re-creations of maps which existed in GoldenEye 007's multiplayer, which aim to be both to-scale as well as visually reminiscent of the simple level geometry the Nintendo 64 was capable of rendering, whilst using high resolution textures. Neo maps are re-imagined levels from GoldenEye 007 which often take visual inspiration from the film, as well as other James Bond films such as a map based on Casino Royale, from the film of the same name,[7] recreating both multiplayer and a select number of viable singleplayer maps with layout changes that would otherwise be unsuitable for multiplayer gameplay.
Soundtrack
GoldenEye: Source features an extensive soundtrack by multiple contributing artists, of varying styles, and consisting of remixes of GoldenEye 007's soundtrack as well as original compositions. Primarily the soundtrack is composed by Trent "Basstronix" Robertson, Greg "Sole Signal" Michalec,[8] both of whom create electronic and dance tracks, and Yannick "GoldenZen" Zenhäusern[9] whose music mimics the orchestral and modern avant garde style of Éric Serra, the composer of GoldenEye's film score.
With each release of the mod, the soundtrack is released for free. Each level within the game has its own selection of songs which players can customize or add their own music to.
Reception
Awards
The mod received two awards in the 2006 Moddb awards, a win in Editor's Choice[10] for the Reinvention category, and was player-voted 3rd place in the overall category Mod of the year, rising from their fourth-placed finish in the unreleased category of the 2005 awards.
In 2014 GoldenEye: Source was named by PC Gamer among the "Ten top fan remade classics you can play for free right now".[11]
References
- ↑ Senior, Tom (2010-12-13). "GoldenEye: Source released". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
- ↑ Plunkett, Luke (2010-12-14). "There's A PC Remake Of GoldenEye Out Too, You Know". Kotaku. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
- ↑ dudesterravensfan (2012-08-29). "Should You Play It? Goldeneye Source (Half-Life 2 Mod)". ScrewAttack. Archived from the original on 2013-08-31. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
- ↑ Miller, Ross (2006-05-24). "R.I.P. Nickster, gone but not forgotten [update 2]". Engadget. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ↑ Devore, Jordan (August 11, 2016). "GoldenEye: Source is still around and it's about to be updated". Destructoid. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ↑ Prescott, Shaun (August 11, 2016). "GoldenEye: Source receives first major update since 2013". Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ↑ "GES Update 10/07/10 [4.1 Media #1] news - GoldenEye: Source mod for Half-Life 2". Mod DB. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ↑ "About Sole Signal". www.solesignalmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ↑ "GoldenZen music | About". www.goldenzen-music.ch. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ↑ Editor's Choice - Mod of the year Archived March 31, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Craig Pearson (2014-01-01). "Ten top fan-remade classics you can play for free right now". PC Gamer.