|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|
Author: Chuck Osborn
Date: 2008 - 03
|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|

THEY HUNGER: LOST SOULS

FIVE CHILLING FACTS YOU MUST KNOW TO SURVIVE!

When PC Gamer first commissioned the They Hunger trilogy for Half-Life, little did we know that the popular mod franchise would return years later as a full-fledged game. But thanks to creator Neil Manke and his Black Widow Games, They Hunger will be back in 2008 using the Source engine. 

We caught up with Neil for five facts that you haven't heard about the horror shooter They Hunger: Lost Souls. 

NO HUD Lost Souls has no on-screen HUD. Instead, your health will be represented by a special "wrist-watch health meter" (called a BioMeter) that only appears when you raise your left arm by pressing the Q key. Weapons won't have HUD indicators, either—you'll aim using ironsights (if applicable) and check ammo by actually looking at the magazine. It sounds a little clunky to us, but Black Widow insists that the system will be simple and intuitive.

EPISODE ZERO? To whet your appetite for all the zombie-killing action in Lost Souls, Black Widow will release Lost Souls Episode 0: Prelude a few months before the first episode's release. Prelude will set up the story line explored in future episodes, and will have approximately 4-5 hours of gameplay. In Episode 1, you'll encounter faster, more ferocious zombies as you explore their origins. 

INTRO DÉJÀ VU They Hunger: Lost Souls is a whole new game, but the intro sequence in Episode 0: Prelude will be based on the one that opened the original mod. Both sequences start with scenes from a radio station and news reports updating you on the situation; the introduction of your character as you're driving; and the car accident that strands you in an unfamiliar location. 

CONCURRENT DEVELOPMENT Because Episode 1 concludes the immediate story line begun in Episode 0 and shares many of the same environments, both episodes are being developed at the same time. Says Manke: "Working on both episodes at the same time was the only way to ensure full consistency between them, and ensure the levels designed for Episode 0 would also support the events planned for Episode 1. 

SMALL DEVELOPMENT TEAM While most first-person shooters boast development teams consisting of dozens of designers, artists, and programmers, Lost Souls' team has averaged around 10 members throughout its life cycle. "Our past experience on mod development taught us how to be very efficient working on a small team," says Manke, "and gave us enough familiarity with Valve's technology and tools so we can be fairly poductive."