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It's finally here! Black Mesa [Steam, Official Site] is now officially available for Linux in beta form. It looks really great!

Note: It's worth noting this game is not finished and it's in Early Access.

I actually only finished Half-Life in the last few years (when it came to Linux) and loved it. I still haven't put more than a few single hours into Half-Life 2 as it just doesn't hook me in, so Black Mesa is probably ideal for me.

I'm pretty excited to try this one out! Might be what I need to finally push me to actually just play through Half-Life 2.

I think it's really amazing that Valve not only allow such fan creations, but often encourage them and support the developers doing it.

Highlights of the new version:
- Linux client beta!
- Added the ZECU - Zombie Marines
- Translations - Added Russian closed captions!
- Added new security Joop model
- Workshop publish tool is working again
- General workshop improvements (all workshop items must now be VPKed to work)
- VOIP works in multiplayer

About Black Mesa
Black Mesa is the award winning fan-made re-imagining of Gordon Freeman's landmark journey through the Black Mesa Research Facility. Relive Half-Life, Valve Software's revolutionary debut, and experience the game that raised the bar for the entire game industry all over again!

Nostalgia has never felt so fresh - Expect tremendously detailed environments, old-school tough-as-nails combat, and a gripping story with memorable characters. The all-new soundtrack, voice acting, choreography and dialogue create a more expansive and immersive experience than ever before!

Heavily updated single player experience - The over 10 hour single player experience has greatly improved from the mod release; new visuals, new voice over, updated gameplay encounters, stability changes and more. Xen is not part of the Early Access release, but will included as a free update when it is ready.

Black Mesa Multiplayer - Fight with or against your friends, in two game modes across 10 iconic maps from the Half-Life universe including Bounce, Gasworks, Stalkyard, Undertow and Crossfire! Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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32 comments
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Keyrock Oct 28, 2016
Valve are the anti-Nintendo
vickop Oct 28, 2016
Oh yeah!
1mHfoksd1Z Oct 28, 2016
Waited so long for this! Too long! But it's ok, we finally got the port in the end and that's all that matters. I hope it performs well. I don't have budget for gaming now but I'm going to buy it during the next sale (this Halloween hopefully).
MayeulC Oct 28, 2016
Hell yeah, I will probably buy it this weekend, and make a complete playtrough. I didn't play it since its first release, so I expect to find it quite improved.

It took its time, but it's finally here! Fingers crossed for Xen some time in the future, AKA "when it's ready".

By the way, what does "VPKed" means? Is VPK some kind of file format? (valve-pak? The original game used pak files, IIRC).
opera Oct 28, 2016
Finally! Had this on my wishlist for a long time ...
rea987 Oct 28, 2016
Quoting: MyeulCBy the way, what does "VPKed" means? Is VPK some kind of file format? (valve-pak? The original game used pak files, IIRC).

Yeah, Valve Pak. Most of id Tech games such as Quake, Quake II and even Half-Life (GoldSrc), as well as many other games use Pak files. But, Black Mesa is a Source Engine game which uses VPK as it should do.

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/VPK


Last edited by rea987 on 28 October 2016 at 5:23 pm UTC
ElectricPrism Oct 28, 2016
Warning this game is like crack.

Once hooked expect to loose a couple days.

Excellent game, looking forward to the final chapters gonna play through again.


Gonna pull the trigger soon on this.
Slackdog Oct 28, 2016
Woo hoo! Played this to death on winblows back in the day. Deffo purchase when I get time! :)

/edit

Is the free play version ported as well?


Last edited by Slackdog on 28 October 2016 at 11:03 am UTC
rea987 Oct 28, 2016
Quoting: SlackdogIs the free play version ported as well?

No, it is not and will not.
Feist Oct 28, 2016
Great! I played through the free version on windows when it was first released several years ago. However, I didn´t want to spend money on the pay-version until the game was completeable.

Guess I´ll have to wait a bit longer for them to finaly finish the "Xen" level...:(


Last edited by Feist on 28 October 2016 at 12:00 pm UTC
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