Morph Ball Madness | Half-Life 2 | Source
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Level Overview
“Morph Ball Madness” is a Half-Life 2: Episode 2 level that takes place years after the events of Episode 2. Gordon Freeman takes control of a small, spherical remote, enabling him to enter small vents and other confined, inaccessible spaces. Freeman uses the remote to explore a Combine command station near City 83, eventually finding and destroying a critical computer core.
Morph Ball Madness uses Metroid-inspired exploration, combat, and mechanics to give the player a significantly different gameplay experience from typical Half-Life 2 levels. Players make tricky jumps, enter small, otherwise inaccessible areas, latch onto walls using magnetic rails, find hidden secrets, and drop bombs on enemies from above them.
Morph Ball Madness uses Metroid-inspired exploration, combat, and mechanics to give the player a significantly different gameplay experience from typical Half-Life 2 levels. Players make tricky jumps, enter small, otherwise inaccessible areas, latch onto walls using magnetic rails, find hidden secrets, and drop bombs on enemies from above them.
Design Goals
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Level Metrics
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Level Map
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Level Details
Getting the drop on an enemy
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Bombs and RailsThe player-controlled remote has two weapons in Morph Ball Madness: a bomb that detonates immediately, directly on top of the remote; and a timed bomb, shown in this image. Additionally, the remote can activate an electro-magnet to attach to magnetic rails. Here, the player is attached to a rail and is dropping a timed bomb on the enemy below. By combining these two capabilities, the player can avoid taking damage from the enemy.
In general, the level layout of Morph Ball Madness promotes repeated use of the new mechanics in order to reinforce them. Furthermore, it promotes using multiple mechanics in concert, as in this example, both to further reinforce the mechanics, and to provide the player with interesting new challenges. More details on bomb implementation are available on my Hammer I/O scripting page. |
Destructible grates hint at hidden areas
A secret Energy Tank
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Secrets and Health System
Grates, like the one on the right side of the upper image, block various passageways throughout the level. The remote's bombs can destroy them, giving the player an opportunity to get comfortable with the bomb mechanics. These unavoidable grates also hint to the player that they should keep an eye out for destructible surfaces. The grate shown here is the first optional grate in the level. It serves as a reward for players who explore, and mirrors the hidden passageways of the Metroid games that the level draws its inspiration from. In the lower image, having destroyed the grate and opened up the secret passage, the player is now about to acquire an Energy Tank.
The health system in Morph Ball Madness consists of four health statuses. The remote's shield status goes from Operational, to Weakened, to Damaged, and finally to Critical, before the remote's shields give out entirely, destroying it. The remote's shields regenerate within a bracket, but once the shield status drops, the shields cannot go back up to a higher status. Energy Tanks act as an extra life. When the remote's shields fail completely, if it has any Energy Tanks in reserve, it automatically consumes one, fully recharging its shields to Operational. More details on the implementation of the health system are available on my Hammer I/O scripting page. |
Ladder jumping puzzle
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Ladder Jumping PuzzleAs with the previous example of dropping a bomb on an enemy from above, this jumping puzzle requires the player to combine two mechanics: jumping and magnetic rails. The sparks damage the remote and also knock it off its trajectory, so the player must carefully navigate between the sparks to proceed from rail to rail.
The Combine soldiers in the background serve as a preview for the final fight in the level. Here, the soldiers are not aware of the remote's presence, but having them on patrol creates anticipation in the player for the possibility of a fight with them, as well as providing an interesting visual backdrop for the puzzle. More details on the implementation of movement controls, including jumping from magnetic rails, are available on my Hammer I/O scripting page. |
Final fight with the Combine
Secret passage for Combine fight
Above the Combine
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The aforementioned fight with the Combine soldiers takes place in the room shown in the upper image. Players who simply charge into the fight risk taking a great deal of damage; although the grates on the floor lead to a passageway providing some cover, the player must move into the center of the room to blow open the grates and gain access to the passageway, allowing the Combine to fire on the remote en route.
Players who are on the lookout for grates can find the secret passageway shown in the middle image, which leads to the walkways shown in the bottom image. The walkways are suspended above the Combine soldiers. From this position, the player has the option of jumping from bridge to bridge, dropping timed bombs on the Combine below. This serves as another instance where the player can try to combine multiple mechanics (jumping and timed bombs) in new, interesting ways. The bridges serve as highly effective cover while performing this maneuver, allowing the remote to take relatively little damage in comparison to engaging the Combine directly on the floor. As with the secret Energy Tanks, this additional hidden approach to the Combine fight functions as a Metroid-style reward for players who explore. The bridges are also accessible from a magnetic rail on the far left side of the room. However, reaching them that way exposes the player to far more fire from the Combine compared to using the secret passage. |
Destroying the computer core
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After defeating the Combine, the player can proceed into the computer room, the location of the computer core that runs the Combine's automated defenses in City 83. Destroying the computer core brings a successful end to the mission.
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"Kraid's Theme" - Metroid: Zero Mission - Nintendo - 2004