Blogs - Syph0

Hey, anyone who might stumble across my page, I'm trying out development blogs for the first time. Exciting right?

In 2020, at the very start of lockdown, I wrote a synopsis for a mod called "Radiated." Radiated's basic premise is that you'd be stuck underground after the Citadel goes KABOOM at the very end of Half-Life 2: Episode One. Rogue Lambda developed the mod on and off until I was able to acquire the Vance team. Once we started working on "ReVance," I gave Radiated a makeover, called it "Half-Life: 2 Badlands," and then I put it in the corner. Out of sight, out of mind. It's only been recently that I've wanted to actually develop a project on my own to help advance my skills. And now that's become a reality. I've removed Badlands from Rogue Lambda so I can focus on it in my own time and at my own pace.

The current "plot" of Badlands might change, but what I currently have is this: "You are 'Yuri', a resistance member who managed to get onto Calhouns train out of the city. As the train ventures off, it is ambushed by a group of fleeing Combine Remnants and de-railed into an abandoned metro underneath City 17. You and a group of wounded resistance members must find a way out of the city, as the Dark Energy admitted from the blast is having drastic effects on you and any forms of life."

I originally wanted the rest of the resistance to die in the intro and have you and Calhoun attempt to escape together, but that really undermines all the effect Gordon undertakes in helping the resistance flee the city. In my mind, I'd want the mod to play out in a way that makes the player, and possibly Calhoun, venture around the metro and to the surface, getting supplies for the wounded and then leading them to the next area. If you've ever played the game "The Last Stand," you might be able to draw similarities. I'd also want different things to happen if you do lose a member of your group, like you don't have a lot of health, or there's more likely a chance of more enemies spawning in, stuff like that. Everything's very much in its conceptual stage.

alex_mmc is currently porting his item systems to BADLANDS, so that items give off particle effects, different sounds I'm very much butchering it but it's cool trust me. Once it's working I'll show you all, it's cool.

I haven't got to the point where I'm mapping yet but I'll get too it soon. Hopefully I can produce something kind of good looking to showcase to you all in the next one but I heavily doubt. It's what's been putting me off wanting to do a solo project, because mapping with hammer just sucks. Anyway, this one wasn't very long I just wanted to let the very few that follow me that a new, new, new BADLANDs is being worked on by yours truly.

Hello, I just wanted to let you know that I've removed the Blue199 reports from my ModDB. The main reason for this is simply because I just want to move past it. Both of them are archived somewhere, but yeah, I want to just move past all that and focus on what I'm doing, the projects I'm working on, and the future.

This blog is going to be removed as well. I've got some development insights that I'll be posting on my ModDB page regarding Half-Life 2: Badlands and ReVance. So yeah, keep your eye out for those.

I just wanted to post this very short blog post explaining why they're gone, because I know someone out there is going to think that I'm trying to hide the past. I mean, me making this post is the exact opposite.

Catch ya'll laters

- Syph0

Race-X lives on! -Radiated-

Hello everyone, it’s been a good minute before I’ve said anything regarding Race-X and Rogue Lambdas future but now I can say that a new mod is in the works named Radiated.

Radiated is a 4 chapter long HL2 Episode 2 modification that takes place after the combine evacuation from City 17. You are Daniel Jackson a rebel left behind in the ruins of the city.

Race-X was very close to my heart as I have spent many years trying to write the perfect story so it would become the perfect mod. I have struggled with the story for many years and on March 15th 2020 I decided to put on hold until I and the team could figure out what to do.
I have used old story elements from cancelled projects like ‘Race-X: Rogue Files’ and ‘Half-Life: Conjoined’ to create Radiated.

Radiated will feature new enemies and modified old weapons from the Half-Life series.

Radiated uses a new mechanic called ‘Mutating’, the mechanic allows the player to go up into the city and collect ammo and supplies but you lose a percentage of health. Use the mechanic too much you die.

- Concept art will change -



Before I close off I would like to say that even though Race-X is on hold the mod will continue development sometime after this project is finished.

I hope everyone is staying safe,
Syph0 - Community Lead and Writer at Rogue Lambda

Hey everybody,
Just wanted to talk about why I haven't been active, why a Race-X update isn't coming anytime soon and my mental health.

On August 17th at 8:00 pm 2019 I tripped up and ran into a glass window. I cut both my wrists in the process. My left wrist was cut in a way that didn't damage my arteries and was kinda like a slice of glass rather than a straight cut but my right wrist wasn't as lucky. I cut my tendon and most of my nerves. I really couldn't do anything and that left me very depressed.

The whole thing was just extremely embarrassing and I couldn't do anything without some kind of help.
I was suffering from stress as well because I wanted things done but they couldn't be done because of my situation.

I truly believe that if I this didn't happen I would have spiralled out of control. I got help and now things are slowly getting better. This is why I'm going to take Race-X slow instead of having a goal that I cannot achieve. A 2020 release date isn't happening so I am going to learn C++ to help support the development of this mod instead of sitting around and just writing because that's what I have been doing for 2 years.

I've done and said some really stupid things online and I apologize to anyone I have hurt or upset during my time on moddb. We all regret things we have done in our past.

Signing Off,
James