The Specialists
Encyclopedia
The Specialists is a multiplayer modification
for the first-person shooter
computer game Half-Life. The final version of the mod is 3.0.
, but with added action movie realism), The Specialists soon evolved into a death-match
game with action movie realism. The Specialists 1.0 was first publicly released on October 29, 2002.
On June 21, 2007, The Specialists received its final major update, 3.0.
As of 31 December 2009, The Specialists official website is down.
On 15 March 2011, fan website http://www.thespecialistsmod.net was created in an attempt to rekindle interest in the mod, but the website went down in a few months.
, though several of the default player models
, maps, and some of the game-play elements appear to be references to The Matrix
. It contains over 29 weapons, many power-ups, and 5 official game-types. Weapons and attacks are highly lethal while accuracy is unaffected by movement, leading to a frenetic pace of gameplay.
One of the features that The Specialists is known for is Bullet Time; the ability to manipulate time to pass in slow motion. Bullet Time has been implemented in other titles such as Max Payne
, but is typically found only in single-player titles, whereas The Specialists is mainly a multi-player modification. The game also makes heavy use of stunts, even rewarding players with scoring bonuses for stunt combinations, and also has a simple, yet powerful, kung fu system for melee attacks. Although it is far from being the first shooter to include stunts and kung fu (notable spiritual predecessors include The Opera and Action Half Life), The Specialists is the first to combine them with multi-player slow motion game-play and to integrate the various types of combat (shooting, stunting, melee) into a fluid experience.
The various stunts that can be performed are all dependent on the direction that the player is looking in. Weight is a very important part of The Specialists, as it determines a large part of how the game can be played. Carrying vast amounts of firepower will limit the number of stunts able to be performed and the speed at which the player can move, whereas players armed with only knives or a pistol will be able to move very quickly and perform more stunts. The Specialists contains a variety of power-ups which can be separated into two categories: Passive and active power-ups. Passive power-ups do not require activation; they last until the character is killed and their effect is maintained for the entire time. All can be found on the map but most of these are awarded after reaching a certain status. Active power-ups must be activated to have an effect. Active power-ups last for three or five seconds depending on which power-up is used. Active power-ups can be particularly devastating when used with an appropriate weapon. The player may only carry one active power-up at a time.
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
for the first-person shooter
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...
computer game Half-Life. The final version of the mod is 3.0.
History
The Specialists was created by Filippo "Morfeo" De Luca & Lorenzo "John_Matrix" Pasini. Originally made to be a team-play game (much like Counter-StrikeCounter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
, but with added action movie realism), The Specialists soon evolved into a death-match
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
game with action movie realism. The Specialists 1.0 was first publicly released on October 29, 2002.
On June 21, 2007, The Specialists received its final major update, 3.0.
As of 31 December 2009, The Specialists official website is down.
On 15 March 2011, fan website http://www.thespecialistsmod.net was created in an attempt to rekindle interest in the mod, but the website went down in a few months.
Gameplay
The Specialists is intended to resemble a generic action movie and is often compared to the film Face/OffFace/Off
Face/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....
, though several of the default player models
3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...
, maps, and some of the game-play elements appear to be references to The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
. It contains over 29 weapons, many power-ups, and 5 official game-types. Weapons and attacks are highly lethal while accuracy is unaffected by movement, leading to a frenetic pace of gameplay.
One of the features that The Specialists is known for is Bullet Time; the ability to manipulate time to pass in slow motion. Bullet Time has been implemented in other titles such as Max Payne
Max Payne
Max Payne is a BAFTA Award–winning third-person shooter video game developed by Finnish developers Remedy Entertainment and published by Gathering of Developers in July 2001 for Microsoft Windows. Ports created later in the year for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and the GameBoy Advance were published by...
, but is typically found only in single-player titles, whereas The Specialists is mainly a multi-player modification. The game also makes heavy use of stunts, even rewarding players with scoring bonuses for stunt combinations, and also has a simple, yet powerful, kung fu system for melee attacks. Although it is far from being the first shooter to include stunts and kung fu (notable spiritual predecessors include The Opera and Action Half Life), The Specialists is the first to combine them with multi-player slow motion game-play and to integrate the various types of combat (shooting, stunting, melee) into a fluid experience.
The various stunts that can be performed are all dependent on the direction that the player is looking in. Weight is a very important part of The Specialists, as it determines a large part of how the game can be played. Carrying vast amounts of firepower will limit the number of stunts able to be performed and the speed at which the player can move, whereas players armed with only knives or a pistol will be able to move very quickly and perform more stunts. The Specialists contains a variety of power-ups which can be separated into two categories: Passive and active power-ups. Passive power-ups do not require activation; they last until the character is killed and their effect is maintained for the entire time. All can be found on the map but most of these are awarded after reaching a certain status. Active power-ups must be activated to have an effect. Active power-ups last for three or five seconds depending on which power-up is used. Active power-ups can be particularly devastating when used with an appropriate weapon. The player may only carry one active power-up at a time.
Other notable features
- Ability to dual wield some weapons
- True recoil
- Environmental interactions like wall climbing, diving, and flipping
- Thrown knives ricochet off surfaces at certain angles
- Destructible objects/environments
- Visible bullets/bullet trails in slow motion
- Weapon customization
See also
- Half-Life
- List of Half-Life mods
- Valve Software
- Steam