John Richardson
Game Designer/Environment artist
Entropy : Zero
Entropy : Zero started production in February 2016. It was released on Steam for free, on October 10th 2017.
The mod for Half-Life 2 Episode 2 is built on the 2013 Singleplayer iteration of the Source SDK. The mod tells a story within the confines of the Half-Life canon.
This was a solo venture, but several community members approached and gave me assets (such as music) to put into this project.
Since release, Entropy : Zero has been a highly successful project and continues to evolve through patches and additions in response to community feedback.
Development
I've been open about the development of Entropy : Zero from start to finish. I used Mod Database to keep my followers updated about the development, and wrote several detailed articles during the process that may be of interest.
Design Principles
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Singleplayer experience
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Comply with universe canon
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Thematic changes to represent playing as the opposing faction
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Unique gameplay functions and additions
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Replay value
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Respond to community feedback
Entropy Zero: Challenges of Development - and how I overcame them
Concept and Creation - An in depth look at behind the scenes development of Entropy Zero
Development progress list (Google Docs)
Outro Planning / Ending writeup (Google Docs)
Lots of work for Entropy : Zero was done by hand. There are quite a few images of this work in the Mod Database articles.
In most cases it was necessary to sketch out maps before creating them. Several diagrams were also made to assist with the implementation of the logic behind some of the puzzles and trigger sequences in the mod.
Working in this way highlighted to me the importance of planning with a project of this size. Having drawn and written plans to fall back on was tremendously helpful when dealing with mappers block or burnout. Those foundations were there primarily as a support mechanism, to help the development progress where it could not naturally.
Beta testing
Entropy : Zero was put through a short Beta test which started on Aug. 28th 2017 and ended on Sept. 2nd 2017.
The testing consisted of around 15 players, with feedback and correspondence being given and received through the use of Google Forms. Overall the beta testing feedback was highly positive, and did help to uncover some game-breaking bugs.
All beta testers received a welcome letter and a list of known issues with the mod at that time.
I designed that beta in such a way that players would not have the full mod experience spoiled for them at release. I did this by giving players different portions of the mod to play through respectively.
Overall the testing was successful and I received praise from testers regarding its execution.
Release
Entropy : Zero was released on October 10th 2017. It was released earlier than planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Half-Life 2 Episode 2.
It's totally free, and can be found on the Steam store with its list of requirements here.
I continue to support the mod with updates in response to community feedback, and have plans for further additions. At the time of writing Entropy : Zero is rated 9/10 on Steam and I have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community and my followers.