Dystopia (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Dystopia is a team-based, objective-driven, first-person shooter
video game, developed as a total conversion modification on the Valve Corporation's
proprietary Source engine
. It is based on the cyberpunk
literary (and aesthetic) genre; somewhat based on popular role-playing game Shadowrun
, created by an amateur development team and released to the public for free. Its first playable build was released on September 9, 2005, after a year of planning and nine months of development. The first full version of Dystopia, Version 1, was released after 3 years of development on February 25, 2007. The latest version of Dystopia,1.3 was released on September 14, 2010 as a direct download from Steam, utilizing Valve's Steamworks framework.
Dystopia has been received positively from critics, with praise being given for its graphical quality, unique meatspace/cyberspace gameplay, overall polish and its representation of cyberspace. Criticisms of Dystopia were aimed at how inaccessible the game is at first, and its learning curve. The game has won several awards, including Best Mod for Half-Life 2
from the Independent Games Festival's
Modding Competition.
), with actions in one having an effect on the other.
This is similar to games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein
, Enemy Territory
and Unreal Tournament's
Assault mode. However, Dystopia's dual-layered gameplay means that it is possible to complete objectives in either the realworld (meatspace) or the virtual world (cyberspace
). Many of the final objectives on maps in Dystopia require the co-ordination between both players in meatspace and players in cyberspace. Players can choose to play from one of three different character classes, Light, Medium, and Heavy Augmented Armor each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses with varying amounts of health and armor. The player is able to choose from up to four primary weapons and further customize their selected class by equipping different class based special abilities called implants.
, a mêlée
weapon, and a type of hand grenade
.
The light class is the quickest and most agile of the three classes that a player can choose from but is also the weakest. It is the only class that is able to utilize the stealth implant and has the most implant space out of all three of Dystopia's player classes. The light class can choose from one of four primary weapons, a doubled barreled shotgun
, a fast firing Boltgun (that fires electrical bolts), a charge-up laser
powered rifle and a pair of automatic pistols called the Smartlocks. The Light class carries three EMP
grenades, which are used to disable implants.
The medium class is the most versatile and balanced of the three classes that a player can choose from. It is the middle class out of all three of Dystopia's player classes with average speed, armour, and implant space. The medium class can choose from one of four primary weapons, an assault rifle
, a semi-automatic rifle
, a Grenade Launcher
and a weapon that fires arcs and ball
s of electricity. The medium class carries two Frag grenades.
The heavy class is the slowest of the three classes that a player can choose from, but has the greatest amount of armor and health with minimal space for implants. It is generally used in either defense or to spearhead assaults on heavily defended areas. The heavy class can choose from one of four primary weapons, a rocket launcher
, a minigun
, an Ion Cannon
and finally a weapon similar to a high-powered automatic shotgun. The heavy class carries two spider grenades, which chase after enemies.
Each of the three player classes can be customised further through an abilities system called “implants”. Implants are class based abilities that each player can choose each time they spawn; they allow the player to tweak their playing style or role within their team. Implants are separated into two categories: Headspace, implants that attach to and affect the head and Bodyspace, implants that attach to and affect the body. Each class has a different amount of HeadSpace and BodySpace available for implants; the heavier the class, the less space they have for implants. Implants are used to enhance a players natural ability such as “Leg Boosters” that allow the player to jump higher or sprint faster, "Thermal Vision" that gives the player the ability to turn on heat-signature tracking vision. They are also used to give players special abilities such as "Stealth
", an active camouflage
suit that gives the player the ability to sneak by unnoticed or a "Cyberdeck" implant that allows the player to Jack-In
to Cyberspace
.
). Players who equip either of these implants are commonly referred to as "deckers". Cyberspace is a 3D representation of a computer network, and certain actions in cyberspace will trigger events in reality ('Meatspace').
The gameplay in cyberspace is significantly different from that of Meatspace. When a player enters cyberspace, they merely project an avatar
of themselves into cyberspace. Cyberspace inherently has no gravity and little sense of up or down. Each map's cyberspace consists of links and nodes. Links are long, curved square tunnels that resemble the fibers in a fiber optic cable. Nodes are large rooms that often appear convoluted inside, and they often resemble an MC Escher image in complexity. While in cyberspace, the player can move between nodes on the network and launches a variety of programs against enemy deckers and terminals which control meatspace objects such as doors, security systems, cameras, phone systems, lifts and PA systems. Whilst the player is in cyberspace instead of taking damage to regular Health Points, Energy is lost when various actions are performed. When a player's energy runs out, they are ejected from cyberspace, leaving behind a cyber-shard, (a type of crystal made entirely out of the energy lost from the player whilst they were in cyberspace).
Phistball is a separate game mode introduced into Dystopia in Version 1, it was produced initially as a fun way to test out the new prediction code during closed testing of Dystopia.
It was included with Version 1 after proving to be popular and fun during these closed testing sessions. Phistball takes place in arena style maps with a similar layout to that of soccer/football-style matches, with each team having a goal at opposing ends of the map and a metallic ball spawning in the centre. The two teams remain the same, with Punks versus Corps. The two teams must attempt to score a goal by pushing the ball into the opposing teams goal by using mêlée only.
have described Dystopia as “a third-party modification that comes in an extremely crisp, clean-cut and well-planned package”, and praised the mod for managing “to combine great, balanced gameplay with very clean and impressive graphics”. One reviewer describes the gameplay as “similar to Unreal Tournament’s
assault mode” and its implants system being “similar to Deus Ex
”. An early version of Dystopia, prior to its first release was featured in the modding section of PC Gamer
magazine. In the feature they called Dystopia “an ambitious conversion for Half Life 2” and briefly describe Dystopia’s gameplay and the cyberpunk setting, “It’s like Enemy Territory [Wolfenstein
] in [Judge] Dredd’s Mega City One”
the article goes on to describe the map dys_vaccine. Dystopia was briefly mentioned in a small paragraph in PC Poweplay’s
MODLIFE section. The writer opened the paragraph announcing Dystopia is a finalists in the Independent Games Festival
“fingers are crossed for my friends working on Dystopia [..] who have just been announced as mod finalist in the Independent Games Festival”. The writer closes the paragraph with his congratulations “Bravo gentlemen!”. PC Powerplay also named Dystopia as one of the "most significant" mods.
The release of Dystopia Version 1 prompted PC Zone
to give the mod coverage in their “Freeplay” section. In the article the writer praised it for “translating that dirty ‘hi-tech low-life’ [Cyberpunk] chestnut into a balanced multiplayer game” and goes on to compare the cyberspace in Dystopia to Tron
“the Tron-like representation of cyberspace”. The article noted how the mod wasn’t “instantly accessible, but it makes sense, it works and it’s a lot of fun” before ending the article with “Get it before it goes commercial..” PC Zone also named it as one of their Top 5 mods of 2007, along with Minerva 3: Metastasis.
In their review of Dystopia Version 1, Planet Half-life praised Dystopia as being “the first real quality Half-Life 2 mod to come out after its launch in 2004.” The review did express some concerns of Dystopia’s difficulty, “it's still not the easiest mod to get the hang of” and how new players could find the mod difficult to learn, “the chief problem with the mod is that it's difficult for new players to get a hang of all the map objectives”.
The release of Dystopia Version 1 was covered on Destructoid where they described Dystopia as “the user-created mod that is everything that Microsoft's Shadowrun
hopes to be”. Dystopia is the IGN
editor Ferret, choice for Multiplayer mod, in IGN’s Gamers Arsenal.
Two of Dystopia’s developers, Dustin "Teddy" Hulm and Robert "Fuzzy" Crouch were interviewed on the Australian video game television program, Good Game
. Dystopia hosted a release broadcast with DJ Wheat for the version 1.2 steamworks release. In the release party two of Dystopia’s developers took part in a question and answer section with questions from the listeners and from DJ Wheat. The broadcast finished with a live broadcast of a scrim between two of Dystopia’s clans.
Dystopia has been downloaded over 200,000 times from popular video game file host Filefront
with over 125,000 downloads from fileplanet
, 40,000+ downloads from XFire
and over 10,000 downloads from FileShack.
, awarded Dystopia its Originality Award in August 2005 and two months later it was awarded, Mod of the Month for the month of October. Three months after its original release, Dystopia was named the best Action Mod in Mod DB’s Mod of the year 2005, also coming third in the overall competition. In both the 2006 and 2008 Mod of the Year awards Dystopia received an “Honorable Mention” and in the 2008 Mod of the Year Awards it was nominated for “Best Original Art Direction in a Total Conversion”. Other awards Dystopia has received include Best Mod for Half-Life 2 in the 2006 Independent Games Festival's
Modding Competition and a Bronze Award for Best Source mod of 2007 from Steamfriends.com.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game, developed as a total conversion modification on the Valve Corporation's
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
proprietary Source engine
Source engine
Source is a 3D game engine developed by Valve Corporation. It debuted in June 2004 with Counter-Strike: Source and shortly thereafter Half-Life 2, and has been in active development ever since...
. It is based on the cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
literary (and aesthetic) genre; somewhat based on popular role-playing game Shadowrun
Shadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
, created by an amateur development team and released to the public for free. Its first playable build was released on September 9, 2005, after a year of planning and nine months of development. The first full version of Dystopia, Version 1, was released after 3 years of development on February 25, 2007. The latest version of Dystopia,1.3 was released on September 14, 2010 as a direct download from Steam, utilizing Valve's Steamworks framework.
Dystopia has been received positively from critics, with praise being given for its graphical quality, unique meatspace/cyberspace gameplay, overall polish and its representation of cyberspace. Criticisms of Dystopia were aimed at how inaccessible the game is at first, and its learning curve. The game has won several awards, including Best Mod for Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
from the Independent Games Festival's
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
Modding Competition.
Setting
Dystopia takes place in a high-tech futuristic world spanned by computer networks. It places players into tense combat situations in its own cyberpunk universe, revolving around the conflict between two factions, the Punk Mercenaries (Punks) and the Corporate Security Forces (Corps). As either the Punks or the Corps, players battle against each other in both the physical world (known commonly as meatspace) and the virtual world (cyberspaceCyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
), with actions in one having an effect on the other.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Dystopia is objective-based, in which both the Punks and the Corps fight against each other to complete a series of objectives within a set amount of time to win the round. The rounds are played attack vs. defence, with the attacking team (usually Punks) attempting to complete their objectives in order to progress through the level and complete their final goal. While the defending team (usually the Corps) are tasked with stopping them from completing and even attempt to push the attacking team back.This is similar to games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter video game published by Activision and originally released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software...
, Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a free and open source multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War II...
and Unreal Tournament's
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a futuristic first-person shooter video game co-developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was published in 1999 by GT Interactive. Retrospectively, the game has also been referred to as UT99 or UT Classic to differentiate it from its numbered sequels...
Assault mode. However, Dystopia's dual-layered gameplay means that it is possible to complete objectives in either the realworld (meatspace) or the virtual world (cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
). Many of the final objectives on maps in Dystopia require the co-ordination between both players in meatspace and players in cyberspace. Players can choose to play from one of three different character classes, Light, Medium, and Heavy Augmented Armor each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses with varying amounts of health and armor. The player is able to choose from up to four primary weapons and further customize their selected class by equipping different class based special abilities called implants.
Classes
Dystopia is class-based, and as such, each of the three classes is unique in terms of weapons, implants, and overall performance during gameplay. Classes are identical for both teams, but each class has its own individual appearance. Each of the three classes must choose from one of four primary weapons that are only available to that class, the classes are also outfitted with a semi-silenced Machine PistolMachine pistol
A machine pistol is a handgun-style, often magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and normally chambered for pistol cartridges. The term is a literal translation of Maschinenpistole, the German term for a hand-held automatic weapon...
, a mêlée
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
weapon, and a type of hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
.
The light class is the quickest and most agile of the three classes that a player can choose from but is also the weakest. It is the only class that is able to utilize the stealth implant and has the most implant space out of all three of Dystopia's player classes. The light class can choose from one of four primary weapons, a doubled barreled shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, a fast firing Boltgun (that fires electrical bolts), a charge-up laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
powered rifle and a pair of automatic pistols called the Smartlocks. The Light class carries three EMP
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
grenades, which are used to disable implants.
The medium class is the most versatile and balanced of the three classes that a player can choose from. It is the middle class out of all three of Dystopia's player classes with average speed, armour, and implant space. The medium class can choose from one of four primary weapons, an assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
, a semi-automatic rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, a Grenade Launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
and a weapon that fires arcs and ball
Ball lightning
Ball lightning is an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon. The term refers to reports of luminous, usually spherical objects which vary from pea-sized to several metres in diameter. It is usually associated with thunderstorms, but lasts considerably longer than the split-second flash of a...
s of electricity. The medium class carries two Frag grenades.
The heavy class is the slowest of the three classes that a player can choose from, but has the greatest amount of armor and health with minimal space for implants. It is generally used in either defense or to spearhead assaults on heavily defended areas. The heavy class can choose from one of four primary weapons, a rocket launcher
Rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is any device that launches a rocket-propelled projectile, although the term is often used in reference to mechanisms that are portable and capable of being operated by an individual....
, a minigun
Minigun
The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
, an Ion Cannon
Ion cannon
In science fiction, an ion cannon is a beam weapon that fires beams of ions . Due to its power, it is usually classified as a superweapon. An ion cannon is a type of particle cannon; only the particles used are ionized...
and finally a weapon similar to a high-powered automatic shotgun. The heavy class carries two spider grenades, which chase after enemies.
Each of the three player classes can be customised further through an abilities system called “implants”. Implants are class based abilities that each player can choose each time they spawn; they allow the player to tweak their playing style or role within their team. Implants are separated into two categories: Headspace, implants that attach to and affect the head and Bodyspace, implants that attach to and affect the body. Each class has a different amount of HeadSpace and BodySpace available for implants; the heavier the class, the less space they have for implants. Implants are used to enhance a players natural ability such as “Leg Boosters” that allow the player to jump higher or sprint faster, "Thermal Vision" that gives the player the ability to turn on heat-signature tracking vision. They are also used to give players special abilities such as "Stealth
Cloaking device
Cloaking devices are advanced stealth technologies still in development that will cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum...
", an active camouflage
Active camouflage
Active camouflage or adaptive camouflage, is a group of camouflage technologies which allow an object to blend into its surroundings by use of panels or coatings capable of altering their appearance, color, luminance and reflective properties...
suit that gives the player the ability to sneak by unnoticed or a "Cyberdeck" implant that allows the player to Jack-In
Brain-computer interface
A brain–computer interface , sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface , is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device...
to Cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
.
Cyberspace
Being a cyberpunk-themed mod, Dystopia naturally has some sort of cyberspace setting. To access cyberspace, a player must equip one of two "cyberdeck" implants and find a Jack-In Point, or JIP (a sort of Brain-computer interfaceBrain-computer interface
A brain–computer interface , sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain–machine interface , is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device...
). Players who equip either of these implants are commonly referred to as "deckers". Cyberspace is a 3D representation of a computer network, and certain actions in cyberspace will trigger events in reality ('Meatspace').
The gameplay in cyberspace is significantly different from that of Meatspace. When a player enters cyberspace, they merely project an avatar
Avatar (virtual reality)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
of themselves into cyberspace. Cyberspace inherently has no gravity and little sense of up or down. Each map's cyberspace consists of links and nodes. Links are long, curved square tunnels that resemble the fibers in a fiber optic cable. Nodes are large rooms that often appear convoluted inside, and they often resemble an MC Escher image in complexity. While in cyberspace, the player can move between nodes on the network and launches a variety of programs against enemy deckers and terminals which control meatspace objects such as doors, security systems, cameras, phone systems, lifts and PA systems. Whilst the player is in cyberspace instead of taking damage to regular Health Points, Energy is lost when various actions are performed. When a player's energy runs out, they are ejected from cyberspace, leaving behind a cyber-shard, (a type of crystal made entirely out of the energy lost from the player whilst they were in cyberspace).
Maps
Early releases of Dystopia contained only a single map, dys_vaccine and after each update numerous official maps have been added to the game. The current total of official maps is fourteen, consisting of ten official assault styled maps and four phistball arena style maps. Each map in Dystopia consists of a series of objectives. Except in dys_detonate and dys_broadcast, Punks are always on the attack, while the Corps are defending. Phistball maps have no such objectives; instead to win a team has to score a certain number of times. Dystopia has a strong base of third party community maps created by members of Dystopia's community.Phistball is a separate game mode introduced into Dystopia in Version 1, it was produced initially as a fun way to test out the new prediction code during closed testing of Dystopia.
It was included with Version 1 after proving to be popular and fun during these closed testing sessions. Phistball takes place in arena style maps with a similar layout to that of soccer/football-style matches, with each team having a goal at opposing ends of the map and a metallic ball spawning in the centre. The two teams remain the same, with Punks versus Corps. The two teams must attempt to score a goal by pushing the ball into the opposing teams goal by using mêlée only.
Critical reception
Dystopia has received a positive reception from critics. In their reviews of Dystopia, Planet Half-LifePlanet Half-Life
Planet Half-Life is a gaming website owned by IGN and its subsidiary GameSpy. Maintained by a voluntary team of contributors, the site is dedicated to providing news and informes Half-Life and Half-Life 2, as well as related modifications and other Valve Software titles...
have described Dystopia as “a third-party modification that comes in an extremely crisp, clean-cut and well-planned package”, and praised the mod for managing “to combine great, balanced gameplay with very clean and impressive graphics”. One reviewer describes the gameplay as “similar to Unreal Tournament’s
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament is a futuristic first-person shooter video game co-developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was published in 1999 by GT Interactive. Retrospectively, the game has also been referred to as UT99 or UT Classic to differentiate it from its numbered sequels...
assault mode” and its implants system being “similar to Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
”. An early version of Dystopia, prior to its first release was featured in the modding section of PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
magazine. In the feature they called Dystopia “an ambitious conversion for Half Life 2” and briefly describe Dystopia’s gameplay and the cyberpunk setting, “It’s like Enemy Territory [Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is a free and open source multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War II...
] in [Judge] Dredd’s Mega City One”
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
the article goes on to describe the map dys_vaccine. Dystopia was briefly mentioned in a small paragraph in PC Poweplay’s
PC PowerPlay
PC PowerPlay is Australia's only dedicated PC games magazine. Also available in New Zealand, PC PowerPlay focuses on news and reviews for upcoming and newly released games on the Microsoft Windows platform. The magazine also reviews computer hardware for use on gaming computers...
MODLIFE section. The writer opened the paragraph announcing Dystopia is a finalists in the Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
“fingers are crossed for my friends working on Dystopia [..] who have just been announced as mod finalist in the Independent Games Festival”. The writer closes the paragraph with his congratulations “Bravo gentlemen!”. PC Powerplay also named Dystopia as one of the "most significant" mods.
The release of Dystopia Version 1 prompted PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
to give the mod coverage in their “Freeplay” section. In the article the writer praised it for “translating that dirty ‘hi-tech low-life’ [Cyberpunk] chestnut into a balanced multiplayer game” and goes on to compare the cyberspace in Dystopia to Tron
Tron
-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...
“the Tron-like representation of cyberspace”. The article noted how the mod wasn’t “instantly accessible, but it makes sense, it works and it’s a lot of fun” before ending the article with “Get it before it goes commercial..” PC Zone also named it as one of their Top 5 mods of 2007, along with Minerva 3: Metastasis.
In their review of Dystopia Version 1, Planet Half-life praised Dystopia as being “the first real quality Half-Life 2 mod to come out after its launch in 2004.” The review did express some concerns of Dystopia’s difficulty, “it's still not the easiest mod to get the hang of” and how new players could find the mod difficult to learn, “the chief problem with the mod is that it's difficult for new players to get a hang of all the map objectives”.
The release of Dystopia Version 1 was covered on Destructoid where they described Dystopia as “the user-created mod that is everything that Microsoft's Shadowrun
Shadowrun (2007 video game)
Shadowrun is an online only first-person shooter video game, developed by FASA Interactive for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. It was later cracked to work on Windows XP, confirming speculation that it was intentionally limited to Windows Vista. The game features a buying system which is greatly...
hopes to be”. Dystopia is the IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Ferret, choice for Multiplayer mod, in IGN’s Gamers Arsenal.
Two of Dystopia’s developers, Dustin "Teddy" Hulm and Robert "Fuzzy" Crouch were interviewed on the Australian video game television program, Good Game
Good Game
Good Game is an Australian video gaming talk show television programme created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray currently on ABC2. It premiered on ABC on 19 September 2006...
. Dystopia hosted a release broadcast with DJ Wheat for the version 1.2 steamworks release. In the release party two of Dystopia’s developers took part in a question and answer section with questions from the listeners and from DJ Wheat. The broadcast finished with a live broadcast of a scrim between two of Dystopia’s clans.
Dystopia has been downloaded over 200,000 times from popular video game file host Filefront
FileFront
GameFront is a video game website that provides patches, demos, modifications, and other user generated game related content.- History and ownership :...
with over 125,000 downloads from fileplanet
FilePlanet
FilePlanet is a video game download service that provides demos, patches, mods and other gaming media and other gaming media downloads to its users. FilePlanet was launched, and is run by, GameSpy, which is now a subsidiary of IGN, and is one of the most used video game download sites on the...
, 40,000+ downloads from XFire
Xfire
Xfire is a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers, that also serves as a game server browser and has various other features. It is currently available for Microsoft Windows. Xfire was originally developed by Ultimate Arena based in Menlo Park, California...
and over 10,000 downloads from FileShack.
Awards
Dystopia has received various awards by gaming websites since its original release. Independent modding site Mod DBMod DB
Player's Choice*Best Indie Game: Tremulous*Best Released Mod: Point of Existence 2*Best Unreleased Mod: Black Mesa*By genre-2005:*-2004:*-2003:*-2002:*- External links :* *...
, awarded Dystopia its Originality Award in August 2005 and two months later it was awarded, Mod of the Month for the month of October. Three months after its original release, Dystopia was named the best Action Mod in Mod DB’s Mod of the year 2005, also coming third in the overall competition. In both the 2006 and 2008 Mod of the Year awards Dystopia received an “Honorable Mention” and in the 2008 Mod of the Year Awards it was nominated for “Best Original Art Direction in a Total Conversion”. Other awards Dystopia has received include Best Mod for Half-Life 2 in the 2006 Independent Games Festival's
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
Modding Competition and a Bronze Award for Best Source mod of 2007 from Steamfriends.com.