The aspect of HL2:CTF that provided the most fun during the play testing experience was the pace at which the game moved. The best way to describe it would be to envision HL2:DM on steroids. All of the movement and sprint speeds are slightly higher providing that classic feel from games like Quake while maintaining consistency and balance. The action and firefights also seemed unending. There is never a dull moment for the duration of the map while constantly switching between assault and defense strategies.

HL2:CTF contains three major game modes, straight capture the flag, one flag CTF and my personal favorite, domination. The rules for domination are quite simple: get the lone flag and hold it the longest. Of course it's not that easy when there's the entire opposing team out to get you and take the flag for themselves.
Another area that this mod thrives in is capturing the wide spectrum of the Half-Life universe. The maps that I had an opportunity to play ran the gamut from deserted towns akin to Ravenholm, to crumbling cities, and even in the Citadel walls.

Teamwork is key in a CTF game and the development team has provided the means to make that possible. Allowing players to drop their health, shield, weapon, and ammo lets players give weapons or health to each other. This comes in handy in tight situations when the flag carrier is low on health or lacking a sufficient weapon. The power runes that boost your attack, defense, provide a cloak, or regenerate your health are also droppable giving your team the ability to pass the cloak runes to your sniper and the damage runes to those assaulting.

Weapons
One of the most noticeable and anticipated additions to HL2:CTF are the new weapons. Adding to the weapon selection just increases the number of ways you can approach situations you encounter. While defending, I found the OICW and the Sniper Rifle to be great tools but on the other hand the Alyx's Gun and the Tau Cannon were just begging for me to gauss jump into the enemy base and capture their flag. One of the best features of the new weapons is the balance. Both Alyx's Gun and the OICW seem to fill in the holes between the Pistol and SMG and the SMG and the Pulse Rifle respectively. Begining on the next page is a more in-depth look at the weapons.

OICW:

The OICW, which was originally planned for Half-Life 2, handles well at almost any range. I used the OICW on many occasions to hold back an enemy push towards our flag carrier and it performed admirably. Even if I needed to take out an enemy sniper, the mounted scope allowed for the extra visual boost needed to bring him down. The secondary fire of the OICW is the aptly named Air Burst. This high velocity shell can corkscrew threw the air and detonate before the enemy even has time to flinch.

Tau Cannon:
Reminiscent of the days gone by, the Tau Cannon brings back the gauss jumping goodness of HL1. The Tau Cannon does not use ammo and cannot directly damage someone but it can send you soaring across the map towards the rival flag.

Sniper Rifle:
Though you can only have one slug in at a time, the Sniper Rifle is one of the most deadly weapons in the game. It can give away your position however, as the bullet leaves behind a small blurred trail, it seems to almost rip apart the fabric of space and time. You do not want to be caught in the crosshairs of this weapon.

Alyx's Gun:
Yes, it's the gun you always wanted while playing HL2 and now it's here. The primary fire mode is semi-automatic and operates just as a normal pistol would. When you move to its secondary fire mode, full auto, it's a whole different story. The weapon unfolds to reveal a second handle used to hold it steady while firing. The low recoil and medium clip size (20 bullets) makes this weapon great for close quarters combat.

Updates & Fixes

Most of the changes I have talked about thus far have been major updates but there has also been some changes made to the mod on the surface. The HUD now is colored blue or orange depending on what team you are on and they have added in a headshot icon to the death messages. One of the largest bugs that plagued prior releases of HL2:CTF was player models returning to the reference position while changing weapons in midair. This issue has been resolved and now you can jump around till your hearts content with smoother player animations. The entire change log for the version 1.6 release can be viewed here (http://forums.hl2ctf.com/index.php?showtopic=2566) on the HL2:CTF forums.

HL2:CTF's Future

The major question still left standing is what is in store for the future of HL2:CTF. The team will soon be holding a mapping competition to create a new domination map for the mod. Alongside the community, the mapping department of the HL2:CTF team has been working on a 'secret map' for quite some time now. While talking to one of the testers, I learned the identity of this map. For now, let's just picture classic TFC map 2fort with a HL2 twist. The map's approximated debut is scheduled to be Wednesday, December 21, and is as always subject to change. Further game play adjustments are also not out of the question. I discussed the possibility that the flag carrier may not be allowed to use his weapons; rather he would use the flag as a melee attack.

The overall grade I would give this mod is an A-. As always, there is room for improvement but I was thoroughly impressed by where the mod is right now and how far it has come from its initial betas. The public release date for Half-Life 2: Capture the Flag version 1.6 is tomorrow Wednesday, December 14. For more information and discussion visit the HL2:CTF website (http://www.hl2ctf.com/).

related links

• Half-Life 2: Capture the Flag Website (http://www.hl2ctf.com/)