SMOD
| SMOD | |
|---|---|
 Released! | |
| Download | |
| Type | Single Player Modification |
| Developers | SMOD: Tactical Developer's Group |
| Engine |  Source |
| Based on |  Half-Life 2 |
| Last Version | 1.0 Standalone (Sep 30th, 2023) |
SMOD is a single player mod of Valve's first-person shooter Half-Life 2. The new content consists of many new NPCs and weapons, new gamemodes, comprehensive customization and tweaking options, new abilities for the player, and new features to the gameplay, such as level randomization and simple branching in the otherwise linear flow of the main episodes.
New features and abilities
New weapons
SMOD adds over 20 weapons to the single-player game, as well as custom weapon scripts that can import weapons from other Source engine games such as Counter-Strike, or create new ones from scratch. Most weapons now allow you to look down the sights when a key is pressed while holding them. This can affect other aspects of the game, such as movement speed and accuracy.
Bullet time
Bullet time slows the game environment and makes physics, enemy reactions, and even bullets move at an extremely slow pace. It also produces visual effects that are similar to the ones in 
F.E.A.R. As with the flashlight and sprinting, the player's auxiliary battery is drained by bullet time, but at a much faster rate.
Gordon's kick
A melee attack possibly inspired by a similar move in the game Duke Nukem 3D. The move is fully integrated into the physics engine so if you kick an object, it can be sent flying. The strength of the kick varies depending on the inertia of the player and the kick_powerscale setting. A quirk of the attack is the ability to create a dark energy orb (like those fired from the AR2) after approximately 10 rapid kicks, after which the orb can be kicked toward hostiles.
New NPCs
These includes the attack drone, rebel Combine troops, houndeyes, fully working stalkers, optically camouflaged troops, and 'super soldiers' with antlion-like jumping capabilities. Combine soldiers can be set to use energy-based riot shields which block bullets and add to game difficulty. They may also randomly appear with specially colored uniforms that allow them to take a huge amount of damage. Human NPCs can use most of the new weapons the mod adds to the game.
Enhanced visual effects
SMOD adds many new tweaks and improvements to the graphics of the Source engine. A few examples of the new effects that can be seen are: motion blur, dynamic muzzle fire lighting, depth of field effects for weapons, and greatly improved particle effects.
New functionality
Many weapons and objects can be used in new ways with SMOD. For example, the crowbar can be thrown at enemies with secondary fire, and similar to 
Garry's Mod, props in a level can be replicated and manipulated, then used for various purposes.
New events and plot content
Examples include the skippable episode "Where's my Boat?", and the infamous "Pick up the can" officer burning to death because the can has been replaced with a gas tank.
Gore
The mod adds several visceral features, such as new blood decals, twitching bodies, spurting blood from fatal wounds that splash onto nearby objects, and gibbing (with edible gibs that increase health). These options can be switched off to reduce the gore level for a more sensitive audience.
Customization
Every aspect of the mod is easy to modify with console commands and CFG files. This makes it simple for modders to use SMOD as a base for their own mods. The SMOD40 readme file includes the following text, so you can freely develop and publish a new SMOD-based mod:
"To other MOD authors.
I permit to making your MOD with the SMOD (binary) files.
You don't need to write "Author" or "ìŽÒ" in your MOD credits. You don't need to include "SMOD" in your MOD name.
I don't have obligation(duty?) to maintain your MOD. Therefore I don't maintain SMOD for your MOD. But it is done sometimes at my whim.
Because I want to do it."
Addon files
These allow almost any Source map to be made into a single-player level by placing NPCs, items, and props at predetermined or random places throughout the map, setting conditions for victory, and so on.
External links
- Official website
- Official wiki (Japanese - the Google translator doesn't work with the wiki)
- Planet Half-Life - HL Mod of the Week
Fan websites
- Amphibian Mods: SMOD
- kh0rn3's SMOD page
- vergeh's Journal (SMOD 35a)
- Unofficial English wiki
- SMOD: Tactical forum
- Mod Squad forum
