Combat Design
Create balanced combat encounters through cover placement, enemy composition, and resource distribution. Combat intensity increases gradually while giving players multiple strategic options.
03 / Hammer
Half-Life 2: Black Site
A single-player escape level focused on cover-based combat, environmental puzzles, and a gradual transition from the Citadel to City 17.
- POSITIONS
- Level Designer
Puzzle Designer
Combat Designer - ENGINE
- Hammer
- PLATFORM
- PC
- DEVELOPMENT
- 2 months
Finished December 2025
Half-Life 2: Black Site is a single-player escape level set between Direct Intervention and Lowlife in Half-Life 2: Episode One.
Captured by the Combine after the Citadel train accident, Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance must escape a hidden facility by fighting through Combine forces and solving battery-based environmental puzzles. The level focuses on cover-based combat, progressive puzzle teaching, resource management, and a gradual visual transition from Citadel architecture to the streets of City 17.
Puzzle Progression
Introduce the battery and one-way fence mechanics through clear, step-by-step teaching, then reinforce learning through repetition, variation, and combination.
Narrative & Environment
Guide the player through an escape narrative while using level progression to create direction and accomplishment. The visual style transitions from the industrial Citadel to City 17.
Good Combat Flow
Cover Placement: Covers in the level are carefully designed. Players can use these covers to break complicated combats into a series of one-on-one battles. This makes encounters easier for players to tackle and gives designers more control over the flow.
Verticality Combat Design: Some combat encounters take place across different heights, giving players varied combat experiences and changing how they read the space.
Battery Reuse Puzzle
Battery: Batteries are used to unlock doors. I put significant effort into the interaction between batteries and slots so that the action feels clear and satisfying.
Expanding the Depth: Some windows can be opened from the other side, allowing players to reuse batteries from a previous room. These connections must be carefully designed so the puzzles remain fun to play without becoming breakable.
Lighting and Guideline Aid
Lighting: Important supplies and interactive items are highlighted. Lighting attracts the player’s attention and helps them locate and collect what they need.
Wires: All locked doors are connected to the battery slot and indicator lights with wires. This makes it easier for players to identify the correct unlock point.
What Went Well
- Milestones were completed on time and maintained a high level of quality.
- Feedback from C34 students led to useful iterations and improvements.
- The cover-based combat was fun, readable, and balanced.
What Went Wrong
- The 3D skybox was locked in an early phase and became difficult to revise.
- Alyx occasionally lost track of the player and stopped moving.
What I Would Improve
- Build a more robust companion-following system.
- Improve the battery slot before the prison gate.
- Rebuild the 3D skybox with stronger visual composition.
- Fix minor potential soft-lock situations.