Ravenholm

"We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." is the 6th chapter of Half-Life 2.

Introduction

Ravenholm is the haunted, headcrab-infested mining town seen approximately halfway through Half-Life 2. It was originally thought to be a "safe haven" out of the reaches of the Combine, but headcrab canister bombardment quickly rendered the town into a zombie-ridden wasteland.

The Ravenholm chapter (We Don't Go To Ravenholm...) also includes one more map at the end that takes place outside the town, on railway tracks leading to the coastline.

Architecture

The architecture within Ravenholm is a modest mix of mostly industrial-looking concrete, brick, and metal buildings. Most importantly, the buildings should appear to be in disuse. Decals are your wisest option here, especially vines, graffiti, and plaster damage. Debris should be used sparingly; the idea is that the building is no longer used, not that it has crumbled or been destroyed.

Indoors, rooms should be relatively square, but most importantly sparse. Few props should be used; furniture would be the best to leave in a room. As with exteriors, the furniture and rooms themselves should appear dishevelled. Trash overlays, torn wallpaper, blood stains and so on work best. Windows should be boarded up in some way, not only to block light but to create a claustrophobic feeling.

Most of the buildings have a "mining town" theme - smokestacks, mill equipment, chains, overhead truss structures, and narrow, curving stone roads are particularly dominant. In fact, the ending portion of Ravenholm is the headcrab-infested mine itself.

Environment

A Ravenholm level should be dark and brooding. Light should be kept to a minimum, yet fairly strong and contrasting whenever it appears, used to either guide the player or create tension. Yellow-orange (coming from common lamps and fire) and dark blues or teals (coming from spotlights) are best.

Fire should also be used creatively. While several freely-burning fire pits can be seen, in the story, Father Grigori uses a series of traps to assist him, fire being a rather common element to them. Explosive barrels also help to this end, along with providing the player with a means of dispatching several enemies at once if designed properly. A good Ravenholm level would include some new physics-based trap for the player to use or avoid.

Sounds should be far away. They should be of a low volume with respect to the player, so as to sound as if they come from miles away. Zombie moans and screams work well, along with dramatic metal creaks and strange cave noises (to create a sense of danger) and crow caws.

NPCs

The most appropriate NPCs are the headcrabs and headcrab zombies. Since no humans except Father Grigori are alive in the town anymore, and to enhance the horror, allies should not be used in a Ravenholm level. No Combine troops whatsoever should be encountered in Ravenholm, as they would keep out of the infested zone. In general, living creatures should be almost non-existent, to enhance the horror element. Charred corpses are acceptable, but should be used sparingly - too much of a scary thing is no longer scary. Crows provide a viable level of life for a Ravenholm level, since they do not directly interact with the player in any way, and serve as a poignant sign of the town's extinction.

See also

• Ravenholm soundscapes
• Wikipedia:Ravenholm
• Half-Life 2 Sky List - See maps d1_town_01 through d1_town_05.
• Ravenholm mod

References

• 

  Ravenholm

• 

  Zombies and fire in Ravenholm

• 

  An interior in Ravenholm

Half-Life 2 Chapters
Point Insertion d1_trainstation_01	"A Red Letter Day" d1_trainstation_05	Route Kanal d1_canals_01	Water Hazard d1_canals_06
Black Mesa East d1_eli_01	"We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." d1_town_01	Highway 17 d2_coast_01	Sandtraps d2_coast_09
Nova Prospekt d2_prison_02	Entanglement d2_prison_06	Anticitizen One d3_c17_02	"Follow Freeman!" d3_c17_09
Our Benefactors d3_citadel_01	Dark Energy d3_breen_01