|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Author: John "Chief" Phillips Date: 2006 - 01 - 02 Link: http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View6bb5.php?view=Previews.Detail&id=1 Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20060106073306/http://www.planethalflife.com:80/features/articles/bwg/day01_page1.shtm |-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-| Black Widow Games: Five Days of Fear (Day 1) Rise To Power Black Widow Games has been around for longer than most people are aware of. Since 1997, this talented team of developers has been producing contract work for Rysher Entertainment (producer of popular shows such as Hogan's Heroes, Nash Bridges, Highlander, and Special Ops Force), PC Gamer Magazine, CNET's GameCenter and even Sony Pictures. > bwg_specialops_01.jpg > A screenshot from the classic Special Ops modification for Quake 1, developed for Rysher Entertainment. Neil Manke began modding as a hobby, similar to the way that many of today's mod developers begin their careers. Before long, Manke progressed to become one of the most influential Quake mappers ever. The founding of Black Widow Games followed, and their first project was for Rysher Entertainment: Special Ops Force (based off of the highly popular television series of the same name). In October and December of 1997, Black Widow Games completed their first two projects: Special Ops Force: Mission One, and Special Ops Force: Deathmatch, both for the classic Quake engine. They then moved on to use the Quake 2 engine (the standard at the time) as their weapon of choice, completing the Special Ops Force series (Special Ops Force 2, 3: Desert Bloom, and 4: Cold as Ice), and bringing us the classic Coconut Monkey in Paradise Lost, Dry Gulch, and of course… Saving Private Monkey, all of which were developed for the PC Gamer CD. > bwg_darkstar_01.jpg > Their first Half-Life hit, USS Darkstar. By this point, Black Widow Games had become quite reputable in the gaming world. The Half-Life SDK was released in April of 1999, and PC Gamer (who had received great feedback for the Coconut Monkey series) urged BWG to take advantage of the budding Half-Life mod community, and they did. USS Darkstar was born a few months later, in August of 1999. USS Darkstar became an instant hit for single-player mod lovers. This humble project launched BWG into stardom, being selected by Valve Software for presentation at the first Half-Life ModExpo at San Francisco in 1999. The BWG had hardly begun to flex their modding muscles, however. The series that made them a household name for Half-Life fanatics was right around the corner… They Came, & They Hunger > bwg_theyhunger1_01.jpg > From the introduction sequence in the original They Hunger. The Half-Life community loved the USS Darkstar modification with just cause. PC Gamer, wanting to keep its fans happy with exclusive high-quality Half-Life mods, called upon Black Widow Games once again. 1968's Night of the Living Dead played a strong role in Black Widow Games' decision to create They Hunger, the first installment in the most popular single player series to ever hit any modification community. Playing the role of a writer in desperate need of some peace and quiet to finish your next work, you travel out to a country retreat for peaceful serenity that you require for proper concentration. However, serenity is hardly what you find on your journey. On your way there, an announcement over the radio describes a “strange atmospheric phenomenon" plaguing the countryside… > bwg_theyhunger2_01.jpg > A shot from the increasingly more detailed maps in They Hunger 2. You now find yourself fighting for your survival against the populace of the small country town as well as the Sheriff's department (who not only still have the ability to operate weaponry and small aircraft, but also have a great source of ammunition). You find yourself in deep waters at the end of the first installment, not quite knowing your fate, in a situation that screams for a sequel. They Hunger: Rest in Pieces was released seven months later, in September of 2000. You pick up where you left off previously, and begin your search for fellow survivors. Fighting your way through the town to reach safety—safety which might no longer exist at all, you find yourself in Dr. Franklin's laboratory, where the whole situation arose. You take it upon yourself to put a stop to the horrific experiments, which are set to destroy all that is good. Once again, you find yourself in trouble; what will happen? > bwg_theyhunger3_01.jpg > The good Doctor, your enemy, in They Hunger 3. After taking a one-month break to develop the “Vidar's Niflheim" map for Team Fortress Classic (which became one of the most talked about 3rd party map for TFC, requested by CNET Game Center), they were on their way to the final installment of They Hunger, Rude Awakening. Once again, you find yourself where you had left off in both previous installments: in trouble. The final showdown is about to take place, which is no picnic. The Marines have been called in to contain the situation, which includes you, and you still are preoccupied with fighting the massive zombie army of Dr. Franklin. By the end of your great battle, you must defeat the Sheriff and the twisted Dr. Franklin himself, the evil genius behind the horrible madness. After your epic battle, it is all finally over, and thus ends the They Hunger story... or so we thought! Out With The Old > bwg_underworld_01.jpg > Lining up a shot in the shoes of the hero of Underworld (by Sony Pictures) Black Widow Games had finished their work unfolding the story of an author just wanting to take a break from life and finish his novel, but finding much more than expected. Not a team ready to call it quits after completing just a handful (albeit it a large hand) of projects, they once again surprised the Half-Life community in September 2003, when Sony Pictures asked them to develop Underworld: Bloodline, to go alongside their production of the 2003 movie, Bloodline. Underworld: Bloodline became the 16th Most Popular modification (according to ServerSpy statistics), competing against countless other modifications released. This project set the high standard bar for detail in Black Widow Games games up to that point. However, by this time, Half-Life was beginning to show her age, being overshadowed by newer games on the market and the rumors of Half-Life 2. Upon Half-Life 2's release, Black Widow Games secretly began production on They Hunger: Lost Souls. Due to the sheer amount of work and attention to detail that the detailed engine allows and requires for a quality game however, Lost Souls will not be a free project, and instead will be their first commercially available add-on for the Half-Life series, making their story one of true success. From the early days of being part-time hobbyists, to game requests from major corporations, to developing a commercially available add-on, Black Widow Games has shown everybody what passion, ambition, and a good amount of creativity and skill can do. > bwg_starship_01.jpg > bwg_slaughtership_01.jpg > bwg_darkstar_02.jpg > A comparison of how Black Widow Games and the games that shaped a generation have progressed, from Quake (Starship), to Quake 2 (Slaughtership), to Half-Life (USS Darkstar). Stay tuned to Planet Half-Life, for this is but one of many features this week, focusing on Black Widow Games, They Hunger: Lost Souls, and the future of this successful franchise. We'll be including interviews with the entire staff of Black Widow Games, exclusive to Planet Half-Life screen shots from They Hunger: Lost Souls, and a conclusion article looking back on it all. Don't miss it, we're starting 2006 off with a bang!