'Gritty' HL2RP & The Unseriousness of Willard: A Discussion Thread

[Merlinsclaw]

I'll start off this thread by stating it will be broken up into two sections. One is a personal opinion about 'gritty' HL2RP and one is an analysis about Willard. Please take the majority of any argument from the second section.

____

OPINION:

'Gritty' HL2RP is the best form of HL2RP out there. That 'fresh' take on the Dystopia. It's rarely been done but in nearly every instance, I feel it's been perfect.

It's true, it's not extremely faithful to 'HL2'. However, the appeal of it is something that always entranced me. Maskless Civil-Protection detectives solving gruesome murders. Corrupt Civil Protection on the payroll of gangs. Gang wars in the lawless parts of town. Corrupt Board Members in back alleyway bars snorting some alien drug.

It wasn't Dystopian because of some O.S.I glowie trying to be the CIA. It wasn't Dystopian because of the 'shock factor' of killing old people. It was dystopian because, while in the vague setting of HL2, it was fucking gruesome as hell.

I'm enthralled by images (such as above) and what HL2RP could be if it was simply based off of some of these images (which I'll link below in a spoiler).

I hate the purist vision of HL2RP but, to be frank, there's something that irks me further.

Spoiler: Images:

​

Spoiler: Images:

​

ANALYSIS:

Willard is unserious as hell.

Willard can essentially be described as:

"Tally Ho! Twirly Mustache! Chocolate Rations go up! Glorious Storefront RP! Gameshow on T.V!"

In a more specific example of this problem I'll take Bernard Mulligan, the Vice-Administrator of the City.

Keep in mind, this is supposed to be the a Dystopia's Crown Jewel of a City. These are the smartest men the Combine has to offer and what comes of it?

A Joke Character. Essentially a mix between Joe Biden and George W. Bush.

There are some really brilliant people and characters out there, but I often feel as if they are overshadowed by the absolute unseriousness of the server.
Take for example Ron Goodfella. Hawke summed it up as, "Ron was an extremely serious guy. He'd write masterful speeches but whenever he wasn't, he was a joke character. Why? Because why would he be serious whenever everything's a joke?"

The 'finest minds of the Combine Empire' in this major dystopia are joke characters. The characters that are often the 'face' of the server for new players, keep in mind. It's one thing to crack a joke as a character. It's another to make a joke character.

I honestly believe that this theme continues in a few other areas of the server and I believe it's a problem. In my opinion, it honestly weighs down alot of meaningful RP that could be happening.

___

I want a gritter, meaner, and more serious version of HL2RP.




​

 

[RogueSynapse]

Give me a world where cops are corrupt and evil.
Where they sell arms to citizens on the side for liquor money.
Give me a world full of evil scum bags without citizens that walk around in mint condition clothing and smell of perfume.
Give me real hell on Earth.

I made a workshop addon long ago that captivates this type of feel as well.

Steam Workshop::HL2 Unique Citizen Pack

steamcommunity.com

 

[ShadoWiz4rd]

I'll start off this thread by stating it will be broken up into two sections. One is a personal opinion about 'gritty' HL2RP and one is an analysis about Willard. Please take the majority of any argument from the second section.

____

OPINION:

'Gritty' HL2RP is the best form of HL2RP out there. That 'fresh' take on the Dystopia. It's rarely been done but in nearly every instance, I feel it's been perfect.

It's true, it's not extremely faithful to 'HL2'. However, the appeal of it is something that always entranced me. Maskless Civil-Protection detectives solving gruesome murders. Corrupt Civil Protection on the payroll of gangs. Gang wars in the lawless parts of town. Corrupt Board Members in back alleyway bars snorting some alien drug.

It wasn't Dystopian because of some O.S.I glowie trying to be the CIA. It wasn't Dystopian because of the 'shock factor' of killing old people. It was dystopian because, while in the vague setting of HL2, it was fucking gruesome as hell.

I'm enthralled by images (such as above) and what HL2RP could be if it was simply based off of some of these images (which I'll link below in a spoiler).

I hate the purist vision of HL2RP but, to be frank, there's something that irks me further.

Spoiler: Images:

​

Spoiler: Images:

​

ANALYSIS:

Willard is unserious as hell.

Willard can essentially be described as:

"Tally Ho! Twirly Mustache! Chocolate Rations go up! Glorious Storefront RP! Gameshow on T.V!"

In a more specific example of this problem I'll take Bernard Mulligan, the Vice-Administrator of the City.

Keep in mind, this is supposed to be the a Dystopia's Crown Jewel of a City. These are the smartest men the Combine has to offer and what comes of it?

A Joke Character. Essentially a mix between Joe Biden and George W. Bush.

There are some really brilliant people and characters out there, but I often feel as if they are overshadowed by the absolute unseriousness of the server.
Take for example Ron Goodfella. Someone summed it up as, "Ron was an extremely serious guy. He'd write masterful speeches but whenever he wasn't, he was a joke character. Why? Because why would he be serious whenever everything's a joke?"

The 'finest minds of the Combine Empire' in this major dystopia are joke characters. The characters that are often the 'face' of the server for new players, keep in mind. It's one thing to crack a joke as a character. It's another to make a joke character.

I honestly believe that this theme continues in a few other areas of the server and I believe it's a problem. In my opinion, it honestly weighs down alot of meaningful RP that could be happening.

___

I want a gritter, meaner, and more serious version of HL2RP.




​

Rebels need to start actually acting like the terrorist's they are and stop trying to pretend they're valiant freedom fighters who will save the world through hugs kisses and rations, And start actually causing some damage while doing their shit instead of stabbing each other in the back. #SRF Invasion force when? I'm fucking begging, Give me a godamn IRA Mortar attack on Civil Protection or somewhere in the city, Ramp the shit up.


And cut out the Immunity that higher tier loyalist's enjoy, Noones whose a citizen and not CCA Should be immune from an ass beating regardless of a stupid Social credit score.

 

[Noh]

Rebels need to start actually acting like the terrorist's they are and stop trying to pretend they're valiant freedom fighters who will save the world through hugs kisses and rations, And start actually causing some damage while doing their shit instead of stabbing each other in the back. #SRF Invasion force when?

They already do and the Citizens dislike/hate them for it.

 

[ShadoWiz4rd]

They already do and the Citizens dislike/hate them for it.

Then they can cope,

War's aren't won through sitting there playing friend of the citizen. The French resistance actually went out and fought Nazi occupiers, The Viet Cong fought the Americans ambushing/trapping/blowing them up. The Irish Republican Army Launched devastating car bombings and mortar attacks on British forces. The Mujahedeen launched devastating night time raids on Soviet and American troops in Afghanistan. The American Patriots had the balls to grab their muskets and bombs and fight British regulars head on or using adapted guerilla ambushes.

What does the C24 Rebellion do? On occasion when offered a bunch of guns ammo and money they do a coordinated attack. They Lure each other and cap one another in the head because they're afraid of fighting the combine. News flash, Killing Joe ak47 because he wants to go kill cops isn't gonna stop you from getting killed by transhuman a week from now when your group launches a raid on a checkpoint. War's are one through killing, And through propaganda. If they really wanna be friends of the people then they need to be attacking/raiding CWU Warehouses and stealing rations to distribute in the CZ to people. Instead of acting out of greed.

 

[Deleted member 418]

So you want a version of HL2RP that is no different from any other server that ever existed? I'm only aware of one time where cops were basically this corrupt and cooperative with civvies where they sell them guns and stuff.

That was when a few players from Neb made their own private server that opened for a week where cops had no masks, human dispatch etc. and people enjoyed it for a week.

Other than that, every HL2RP server was basically what you described. I don't mind the comedical tone Willard provides; view it as an attempt to allure loyalists into a false sense of oppression. I guess if you want real hardcore dystopian HL2RP, you either have to make it yourself or make a worse, more chaos orientated CAB char and overthrow the policy.

 

[Noh]

Then they can cope, War's aren't won through sitting there playing friend of the citizen. The French resistance actually went out and fought Nazi occupiers, The Viet Cong fought the Americans ambushing/trapping/blowing them up. The Irish Republican Army Launched devastating car bombings and mortar attacks on British forces. The Mujahedeen launched devastating night time raids on Soviet and American troops in Afghanistan. The American Patriots had the balls to grab their muskets and bombs and fight British regulars head on or using adapted guerilla ambushes. What does the C24 Rebellion do? On occasion when offered a bunch of guns ammo and money they do a coordinated attack. They Lure each other and cap one another in the head because they're afraid of fighting the combine. News flash, Killing Joe ak47 because he wants to go kill cops isn't gonna stop you from getting killed by transhuman a week from now when your group launches a raid on a checkpoint. War's are one through killing, And through propaganda.

Bombing Citizen targets isn't what the French Resistance did (Unlike City-24 Rebels); they are the good guys. The American Rebels fought for freedom and actively wanted to save Citizens from British tyranny, taxes, etc. Never opting to drag them into the war for no reason. However...

The Viet Cong murdered their people so that Americans couldn't use them, and if not, used them to hide and stash weapons that prodded Americans to do evil acts, The IRA used Citizens and Children as human shields and bombed Civilian Targets to get to the British government (its why Ireland hates them now). The Mujahideen kill their people because they don't believe in their ideology (Look at Modern News) and use Suicide Tactics not on themselves but on innocent Civilians just trying to live life. But oh no, the evil Americans came by so they are /forced/ to use Citizens as human shields, kill kids, use hospitals as places to store arms, etc.

Everyone you listed isn't the good guys, minus maybe two groups. And everything they've done, the City-24 rebels have done at some point. The most City-24 rebels have done, before today, was shoot at 2-3 CPs, then run and hide when the rest come. Shoot other Civilians because they spoke too much. Drug their Citizens to fight for them—mug Citizens for their goods to be used for a more 'significant cause', and the list just goes on, and on, to on with bombings, fires, and more shootings.

Everything the Rebels post today has done moved to circumvent the Combines hold on the City, unlike before. And they didn't have to bomb Civilian targets to get it. The whole point of HL2 Rebellion movements, IMO, is to free humanity from the Combines grasp and give them the much-coveted freedom they so desire. So instead, they run to the Combine as they see it as more accessible than the City-24 rebels. No Citizen would support rebels that want to kidnap their families to force them to join or threaten to shoot them because they look at them wrong. Hell, CPs don't even do that.

In the end, Rebels pre-today already were terrorists, and rebels post today are starting to act more like rebels. Hopefully, that trend continues as well...

-----------

As for Merlinclaw's post, I agree with some of it. The Joke characters are a tad tiresome, but they still spice up some parts of the mundane life of Half-Life 2 RP. Though they may do it too often, which I agree too.


Plus, the images you show are remarkable for a different take on how HL2RP should go. But, it is still a dystopia. Much of what is above seems to be like a form of Cyberpunk society with a half-life skin. Corrupt Officials/Cops, Gangs, Criminal Organizations, etc., etc. That's basically what it is let's be honest. Plus, everything you said here can practically be done on the server. There are corrupt officials, cops, etc. There are gangs, drugs, violence, etc practically daily now. It just doesn't have a grey filter on it.

Additionally, the idea of OSI is of itself, dystopian. They are essentially the 'Thought Police' who keep people in check with allowed party lines. And yeah, certain things like 'Oooohhh I killed OLLLD PEOPLE OOOOO" don't make it outright dystopian, but neither does Gang Wars or Corrupt Officials.

And HL2's idea of 'gruesome' was the feeling of hopelessness. People had no future, no plans, no objective. They were just objects fed paste waiting to die and never pass on their legacy as their own kind actively oppresses them and says 'everything is ok '. That's the dystopian and gruesome feeling that Half Life-2 went for. There's a reason you don't find a rogue rebel cell and fight them as Gordon, or see Lambda shooting Civilians. Because in that lore, it is vital for humans to work together to topple the Combine rule.

But here, it's not that. And though is practically a 'meme' at this point, the server does take inspirations from books/ideals like 1984, Farhenheit 452, yadda, yadda. As each is a different take on what a dystopia is, the server just tries to 'kit bash' them together to make something of its own.

 

[ShadoWiz4rd]

Bombing Citizen targets isn't what the French Resistance did (Unlike City-24 Rebels); they are the good guys. The American Rebels fought for freedom and actively wanted to save Citizens from British tyranny, taxes, etc. Never opting to drag them into the war for no reason. However...

The Viet Cong murdered their people so that Americans couldn't use them, and if not, used them to hide and stash weapons that prodded Americans to do evil acts, The IRA used Citizens and Children as human shields and bombed Civilian Targets to get to the British government (its why Ireland hates them now). The Mujahideen kill their people because they don't believe in their ideology (Look at Modern News) and use Suicide Tactics not on themselves but on innocent Civilians just trying to live life. But oh no, the evil Americans can by so they are /forced/ to use Citizens as human shields, kill kids, use hospitals as places to store arms, etc.

Everyone you listed isn't the good guys, minus maybe two groups. And everything they've done, the City-24 rebels have done at some point. The most City-24 rebels have done, before today, was shoot at 2-3 CPs, then run and hide when the rest come. Shoot other Civilians because they spoke too much. Drug their Citizens to fight for them—mug Citizens for their goods to be used for a more 'significant cause', and the list just goes on, and on, to on with bombings, fires, and more shootings.

Everything the Rebels post today has done moved to circumvent the Combines hold on the City, unlike before. And they didn't have to bomb Civilian targets to get it. The whole point of HL2 Rebellion movements, IMO, is to free humanity from the Combines grasp and give them the much-coveted freedom they so desire. So instead, they run to the Combine as they see it as more accessible than the City-24 rebels. No Citizen would support rebels that want to kidnap their families to force them to join or threaten to shoot them because they look at them wrong. Hell, CPs don't even do that.

In the end, Rebels pre-today already were terrorists, and rebels post today are starting to act more like rebels. Hopefully, that trend continues as well...

-----------

As for Merlinclaw's post, I agree with some of it. The Joke characters are a tad tiresome, but they still spice up some parts of the mundane life of Half-Life 2 RP. Though they may do it too often, which I agree too.


Plus, the images you show are remarkable for a different take on how HL2RP should go. But, it is still a dystopia. Much of what is above seems to be like a form of Cyberpunk society with a half-life skin. Corrupt Officials/Cops, Gangs, Criminal Organizations, etc., etc. That's basically what it is let's be honest. Plus, everything you said here can practically be done on the server. There are corrupt officials, cops, etc. There are gangs, drugs, violence, etc practically daily now. It just doesn't have a grey filter on it.

Additionally, the idea of OSI is of itself, dystopian. They are essentially the 'Thought Police' who keep people in check with allowed party lines. And yeah, certain things like 'Oooohhh I killed OLLLD PEOPLE OOOOO" don't make it outright dystopian, but neither does Gang Wars or Corrupt Officials.

And HL2's idea of 'gruesome' was the feeling of hopelessness. People had no future, no plans, no objective. They were just objects fed paste waiting to die and never pass on their legacy as their own kind actively oppresses them and says 'everything is ok '. That's the dystopian and gruesome feeling that Half Life-2 went for. There's a reason you don't find a rogue rebel cell and fight them as Gordon, or see Lambda shooting Civilians. Because in that lore, it is vital for humans to work together to topple the Combine rule.

But here, it's not that. And though is practically a 'meme' at this point, the server does take inspirations from books/ideals like 1984, Farhenheit 452, yadda, yadda. As each is a different take on what a dystopia is, the server just tries to 'kit bash' them together to make something of its own.

Rebels by definition are terrorists so go figure.

 

[Dog]

Dog

 

[Noh]

Rebels by definition are terrorists so go figure.

So Mary Jane who reads a book banned by their government is now a domestic terrorist? Didn't know you worked for the DHS.

 

[ShadoWiz4rd]

So Mary Jane who reads a book banned by their government is now a domestic terrorist? Didn't know you worked for the DHS.

 

[Noh]

View attachment 7660View attachment 7659

It's literally 2 different things. YES, in theory, it is 'the same', but if one were to use their brain they'd see that the aims and methods are different.

Terrorists target Civilian targets to achieve their political goals, actively harming them in the long run. Yes, they rebel against the government but they may not want to 'overthrow' them, but they aren't 'rebels' in the conventional sense, since they aren't for the people - they are for themselves and their aims.

Meanwhile, most rebellions are founded on the ideology that is meant to prop up the Civillian's against the government or ruler because they see them as unjust. Can rebels commit terrorist acts? Yes. But it's not their sole purpose or what the definition means, nor does it mean all terrorists are rebels or all rebels are terrorists.

 

[Malic]

More often than not it boils down to post-conflict branding. If they win it was most certainly a rebellion, if they lose they are more than likely terrorists.

As for the larger topic, and for what my opinion is worth, I think there is plenty of room for there to be comedic leaning characters. Comedic relief is a necessity because it allows for the dreary and nightmarish portions of the experience to cast far darker shadows.

 

[Rebel RP Philosopher]

If they really wanna be friends of the people then they need to be attacking/raiding CWU Warehouses and stealing rations to distribute in the CZ to people. Instead of acting out of greed.

Really comes out to the equipment and layout.

CWU warehouses tend to be biolocked with the intent of keeping offline raiders out, as for the rations when they are distributed are overseen by an entire patrol team with a map layout that promotes quick deployment of more.

As for rebels, it is a grind. The grind is bad - so bad that you're willing to bandit on other's like you for better odds to get more loot. Even if it's just a dozen of metal scraps, the odds you'll survive are better as the people you mug are mostly GI Joes who you won't see tomorrow.

 

[Atle]

HL2 is humorous, through its campaign including the main game + HLA there’s lots of quirky characters and humour that compliment the otherwise grim setting it takes place in. Quirky characters help cut through the monotone and offer breaks of fun which is very positive for player engagement, I find that a net positive!

Your character is quirky who’s now gone through an untold amount of trouble ICly, he’d be PK’d a long time ago if we hadn’t gone down the route of promoting character development freedoms. This also includes my character and many others who’ve made characters with comedy elements.

I don’t view a harsher route to be the way, Willard is a melting pot and to discourage players from playing the character they want is not something we should build up to..



As for the Dystopia feeling, given it’s a world entirely run and managed by people (not a pre-set game) these things come and go. It’s a bit of a mush and understandably difficult to fully keep constant given people have different views of what is / is not ‘dystopian’. As an example, I do not consider maskless CPs any dystopian and view it more so as breaking the atmosphere.

It is still something to work towards though, the overall setting is still dystopian and we can push that direction as much as we can ICly

 

[Maroon]

. Maskless Civil-Protection detectives solving gruesome murders. Corrupt Civil Protection on the payroll of gangs

I can say that our vision for this aligns. I've been meaning to steer cops towards a more corrupt, thuggish behavior; hopefully the changes in the currency system (where they A) need to pay for equipment and B) will easily be able to take bribes) will do something to facilitate that.

 

[Rebel RP Philosopher]

I can say that our vision for this aligns. I've been meaning to steer cops towards a more corrupt, thuggish behavior; hopefully the changes in the currency system (where they A) need to pay for equipment and B) will easily be able to take bribes) will do something to facilitate that.

they already do this

 

[Hiros]

I want a gritter, meaner, and more serious version

Weren't you complaining after OTA blasted you for unauthorized speech and now you want more harsher CPs and everything. I don't see the point of your post.

 

[Maroon]

they already do this

Good.... now I will let them be bribed too.

 

[emmet]

So you want a version of HL2RP that is no different from any other server that ever existed? I'm only aware of one time where cops were basically this corrupt and cooperative with civvies where they sell them guns and stuff.

That was when a few players from Neb made their own private server that opened for a week where cops had no masks, human dispatch etc. and people enjoyed it for a week.

Other than that, every HL2RP server was basically what you described. I don't mind the comedical tone Willard provides; view it as an attempt to allure loyalists into a false sense of oppression. I guess if you want real hardcore dystopian HL2RP, you either have to make it yourself or make a worse, more chaos orientated CAB char and overthrow the policy.

Kill city