Half-Life: MMod How To Install OBO for HL1:MMod V1.15

Introduction

So Half-Life 1 doesn't have a workshop, and neither does MMod. And yet, I found a way to get my OBO mod out there without workshop support. The answer: a Steam Guide!

Welcome to OBO: The Overall Balance Overhaul, now for MMod

Be sure to check out the last few sections down below for some extra goodies, like custom console commands you can use

So what in tarnation is this?This is a balance overhaul mod that makes good old HL a tighter and more deliberate experience, making the super easy stuff more challenging. My goal was to make the game, in every way I could, more fun.

In the next section, I'll guide you through a direct copy-paste method that'll alter the vanilla MMod game balance in a way that's similar to my OBO mods for other games (check out my workshop :D).

But before that, bear with me for a quick clarification on balance and the design philosophy behind this mod, so you can get an idea of what to expect.

You may be wondering: Why on Earth is this "balance" that I keep yapping on about so important? And what does this mod have to offer you, dear reader? In short, balance is the stats behind your weapons and enemies, mostly the actual damage of enemy attacks and the player's weapons.

I'm super proud to say that I've made three separate "balances" using the game's existing difficulties, each with very specific "breakpoints" where certain weapons kill certain enemies in a deliberate number of hits. Forget the names "Easy", "Medium", and "Hard", because my Easy mode is more like the baseline mode that avoids having too many "rougher edges" and difficulty spikes that might turn players off, and I suspect most people may enjoy this mode more than the two higher difficulties. My Easy mode will feel the most vanilla-like with enemy HP, but some will still be noticeable tougher, and they'll deal more damage. It's balanced, fair, and fun, yet still requires you to "focus up" if you want to thrive.

Medium and Hard each increase enemy damage and HP further, but I want to emphasize that I didn't just bump up enemy stats all willy-nilly. No, I spent (an unhealthy amount of) time making this enemy or that one killable in this many or that many hits with each weapon. Normal mode is a good jump if you find yourself getting the hang of Easy, with Hard ranging from difficult to brutal, yet is the most satisfying when you beat each encounter, but will obviously not be fun for everyone.

If you aren't interested in more of my super-autistically detailed reasoning, skip to the next section, and before you can say "I shouldn't have started on Hard mode :(", you'll have a whole new game balance to play the BestHalfLifeModEver™.

(not a real trade mark Ts & Cs apply no refunds consult your gaben before use )

To (try and) keep it simple, the general idea of this mod is: No enemy should be trivially easy, a time-waster, or a "fake obstacle" (like Houndeyes). Every enemy should be challenging, but in varying ways that are different enough from each other so that you won't get bored using the one objectively best method to fight every battle.

As an example, HECU Marines (human soldiers) die a bit quicker than beefy alien monsters, but their bullets can really hurt, making it rewarding to use grenades or corner-camping with a double-shotgun blast ready.

Alien enemies are generally tougher, but the biggest change is their damage. Broadly-speaking, the easier an attack is to avoid, the more damage it does. For example, Zombies are the slowest enemy in the game, so their melee attacks got buffed, but unlike vanilla where their lightning-fast overhead attack dealt more damage than their slower horizontal slaps, I reversed them. Generally, you'll want to avoid taking damage, period.

Installation

As mentioned in the previous section, this game has no Workshop, but fortunately, all my mod's changes are text-based, so you just need to copy and overwrite your text with mine. But unfortunately, Steam's systems still run on Windows 95, so there's a character limit to these guides, forcing me to upload my text in two parts.

The following is a step-by-step guide on how to install. I will cover uninstalling and some extra fun commands I found after the sections below.

To begin, the file you're looking for is named "skill.cfg". Using File Explorer, navigate to your Steam install directory, and MMod's "HL1MMod" directory specifically. It should be at:

(…Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life MMod\HL1MMod).

OPTIONAL: Create a duplicate backup: copy-paste the "skill.cfg" file so that there's a clone, then rename that clone "skillVANILLA.cfg". This is a backup so you don't have to Verify your game files if you want to switch back to vanilla balance.

Open the original "skill.cfg" file with any text editor (like Notepad). Select all text inside by pressing Control+A, and delete all of it with Backspace. You should now have a blank "skill.cfg".

Copy-paste ALL text in the PART 1 section below and the PART 2 section below that one, all into your "skill.cfg" and save it. The text should fit together seamlessly.

OPTIONAL, RECOMMENDED: Copy-paste the new, now-modified "skill.cfg" file so that there's a clone of it, then rename that clone "skillOBO.cfg". This is a backup in case some other mod or update to MMod itself overwrites your "skill.cfg", or if you uninstall and reinstall MMod, which will definitely overwrite it.

The following sections are the two parts that you need to copy-paste. Copy BOTH parts, first Part 1, then immediately Part 2.Example skill.cfg:

[ALL OF PART 1's TEXT]

[ALL OF PART 2's TEXT]

Skill.cfg PART 1 (copy Everything Below)

//OBO v1.15

sv_maxspeed 320 //def.=320, Capped max movespeed

cl_backspeed 209 //def.=400, Backpedal run speed, any more than 209 and "running" footstep sounds play

cl_forwardspeed 320 //def.=400, Forward run speed

cl_sidespeed 320 //def.=400, Strafing run speed

cl_upspeed 320 //def.=320, Speed of "Swim Up" and "Swim Down" keybinds

cl_movespeedkey 0.45 //def.=0.3, Speed mult when holding "walk" key

cl_pitchup 89 //def.=89, How far you can look up, >89 means you can start looking up and behind!

cl_pitchdown 89 //def.=89, Any more than 89 and you'll run backwards while looking all the way down.

hl1mmod_visuals_drawlegs_pitchup 89 //def.=60, Same as above, but applies when crouched w_ MMod's first-person legs enabled

hl1mmod_visuals_drawlegs_pitchdown 89 //def.=70

hud_drawhistory_time 7 //def.=5, How long item pickup tooltips are shown

hud_saytext_time 7 //def.=5, Seconds that chat messages or "say" commands are shown

//PLAYER WEAPONS

//Crowbar whack [light primary attack, 4 swings/s]

sk_plr_crowbar1 "16" //def.=10 [1 is for Easy]

sk_plr_crowbar2 "14" //def.=10 [2 is for Medium]

sk_plr_crowbar3 "10" //def.=10 [3 is for Hard]

//Crowbar heavy whack [heavy secondary attack, just over 1s between swings]

sk_plr_crowbar_heavy1 "25.5" //def.=15

sk_plr_crowbar_heavy2 "21" //def.=15

sk_plr_crowbar_heavy3 "16" //def.=15 [maybe 8?]

//Crowbar Tertiary "Power Attack" ADDS dmg to Light Attack the longer it's charged, from +19.7 damage if not charged at all, with seemingly no upper limit. When held for 40 seconds, dealt 400dmg

//9mmhandgun Round [Pistol]

sk_plr_9mm_bullet1 "7" //def.=8

sk_plr_9mm_bullet2 "7" //def.=8

sk_plr_9mm_bullet3 "7" //def.=8

//9mmAR Round [SMG]

sk_plr_9mmAR_bullet1 "5" //def.=5

sk_plr_9mmAR_bullet2 "5" //def.=5

sk_plr_9mmAR_bullet3 "5" //def.=5

//357 Round

sk_plr_357_bullet1 "34" //def.=40 [Ignore this slight nerf, I set enemies to appropriate HPs that it's still one of the best guns in the game]

sk_plr_357_bullet2 "34" //def.=40

sk_plr_357_bullet3 "34" //def.=40

//Shotgun buckshot [DMG/pellet, hardcoded 6 pellets for single-shot, 12 for double]

sk_plr_buckshot1 "5.5" //def.=5 [decimal points work]

sk_plr_buckshot2 "5.5" //def.=5

sk_plr_buckshot3 "5.5" //def.=5

//Crossbow

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_monster1 "51" //def.=50

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_monster2 "51" //def.=50

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_monster3 "51" //def.=50

//Gauss Gun [Tau Cannon. Wind-up energy laser]

sk_plr_gauss1 "21" //def.=20 [At 21 Primary dmg, MaxCharge dmg=200 if fired ASA max ammo consumed, but 215 if visibly sparking]

sk_plr_gauss2 "21" //def.=20

sk_plr_gauss3 "21" //def.=20

//Egon Gun [The Gluon Gun, the best weapon. "Egon Gun" is a reference to Egon Spengler, a Ghostbuster played by actor Harold Ramis who died in 2014]

sk_plr_egon_narrow1 "6" //def.=6 [slower firing mode with the lever horizontal? About 6 ammo/second?]

sk_plr_egon_narrow2 "6" //def.=6

sk_plr_egon_narrow3 "6" //def.=6

sk_plr_egon_wide1 "14" //def.=14 [DPS firing mode with the lever vertical? About 10 ammo/second?]

sk_plr_egon_wide2 "14" //def.=14

sk_plr_egon_wide3 "14" //def.=14

//Hornetgun [Hivehand]

sk_plr_hornet_dmg1 "6" //def.=4 [dmg of player's hornets]

sk_plr_hornet_dmg2 "6" //def.=5

sk_plr_hornet_dmg3 "6" //def.=8

sk_plr_hornetpuke_dmg1 "15" //def.=35 [Hivehand's Tertiary attack EXPLOSION dmg]

sk_plr_hornetpuke_dmg2 "15" //def.=45

sk_plr_hornetpuke_dmg3 "15" //def.=55

//Displacer [Displacer Cannon from Opposing Forces]

sk_plr_displacer1 "150" //def.=150 [projectile's final explosion damage, uses 10 Uranium ammo per shot]

sk_plr_displacer2 "150" //def.=150

sk_plr_displacer3 "150" //def.=150

sk_plr_displacer_dmgzap1 "29" //def.=20 [damage of little lightning zaps around the central orb][29 because it'd 1-shot assassins at 30]

sk_plr_displacer_dmgzap2 "30" //def.=20

sk_plr_displacer_dmgzap3 "30" //def.=20

//M203 grenade [SMG grenade launcher]

sk_plr_9mmAR_grenade1 "125" //def.=100 [Note that raising damage for explosives also seems to increase their damage RADIUS]

sk_plr_9mmAR_grenade2 "125" //def.=100

sk_plr_9mmAR_grenade3 "125" //def.=100

//RPG [Rocket Launcher]

sk_plr_rpg1 "120" //def.=100 [120=3-shot Abrams, >125=2-shot]

sk_plr_rpg2 "120" //def.=100

sk_plr_rpg3 "120" //def.=100

//Hand Grenade

sk_plr_hand_grenade1 "100" //[CHANGING THIS HAS NO EFFECT]

sk_plr_hand_grenade2 "100"

sk_plr_hand_grenade3 "100"

//Satchel Charge [Remote "Detpacks"]

sk_plr_satchel1 "150" //def.=150

sk_plr_satchel2 "150" //def.=150

sk_plr_satchel3 "150" //def.=150

//Tripmine

sk_plr_tripmine1 "150" //def.=150 [Laser Tripmine explosion damage]

sk_plr_tripmine2 "150" //def.=150

sk_plr_tripmine3 "150" //def.=150

//ENEMY WEAPONS

//357 Round (>16 tends to insta-gib enemies)

sk_mon_357_bullet1 "16" [NPC 357 damage]

sk_mon_357_bullet2 "16"

sk_mon_357_bullet3 "16"

sk_9mmAR_bullet1 "6" //def.=3 [NPC SMG damage, pretty much just HECU Marines]

sk_9mmAR_bullet2 "7" //def.=4

sk_9mmAR_bullet3 "8" //def.=5

sk_9mm_bullet1 "7" //def.=5 [Assassin&Security's pistol dmg]

sk_9mm_bullet2 "8" //def.=5

sk_9mm_bullet3 "9" //def.=8

sk_hgrunt_pellets1 "4" //def.=3 [#of Shotgunner's pellets]

sk_hgrunt_pellets2 "5" //def.=5

sk_hgrunt_pellets3 "6" //def.=6

sk_12mm_bullet1 "8" //def.=8 [50cal mounted guns & Atk Heli]

sk_12mm_bullet2 "11" //def.=10

sk_12mm_bullet3 "14" //def.=10

//ALLIES

//Security

sk_barney_health1 "102" //def.=35

sk_barney_health2 "102" //def.=35

sk_barney_health3 "102" //def.=35

//Scientist

sk_scientist_health1 "66" //def.=20

sk_scientist_health2 "66" //def.=20

sk_scientist_health3 "66" //def.=20

sk_scientist_heal1 "35" //def.=25 [HP Scientists heal, player must have <50HP]

sk_scientist_heal2 "30" //def.=25

sk_scientist_heal3 "25" //def.=25

//ENEMIES

//Turret [Single-barrel ceiling turret]

sk_turret_health1 "69" //def.=50 [68=2-shot Revolver]

sk_turret_health2 "78" //def.=50 [77=11-shot pistol]

sk_turret_health3 "105" //def.=60 [102=2-shot Crossbow]

//MiniTurret [Minigun ceiling turret]

sk_miniturret_health1 "69" //def.=40

sk_miniturret_health2 "78" //def.=40

sk_miniturret_health3 "105" //def.=50

//Sentry Turret [HECU standing sentry]

sk_sentry_health1 "69" //def.=40

sk_sentry_health2 "78" //def.=40

sk_sentry_health3 "105" //def.=50

//Hgrunt [human grunt, HECU Marines]

sk_hgrunt_health1 "43" //def.=50

sk_hgrunt_health2 "46" //def.=50

sk_hgrunt_health3 "54" //def.=80

sk_hgrunt_kick1 "10" //def.=5

sk_hgrunt_kick2 "15" //def.=10

sk_hgrunt_kick3 "25" //def.=10

sk_hgrunt_gspeed1 "600" //def.=400 [ground speed/movespeed]

sk_hgrunt_gspeed2 "700" //def.=600

sk_hgrunt_gspeed3 "800" //def.=800

//Hassassin [human assassin, Black Ops]

sk_hassassin_health1 "30" //def.=50

sk_hassassin_health2 "36" //def.=50

sk_hassassin_health3 "41" //def.=50

//Apache [Attack Helicopter]

sk_apache_health1 "300" //def.=150

sk_apache_health2 "400" //def.=250

sk_apache_health3 "500" //def.=400

//Leech

sk_leech_health1 "2"

sk_leech_health2 "2"

sk_leech_health3 "11" //def.=2 [>Crowbar Primary, must use Secondary to 1-shot]

sk_leech_dmg_bite1 "2" //def.=2

sk_leech_dmg_bite2 "3" //def.=2

sk_leech_dmg_bite3 "5" //def.=2

//Snark

sk_snark_health1 "2"

sk_snark_health2 "2"

sk_snark_health3 "2"

sk_snark_dmg_bite1 "11" //def.=10

sk_snark_dmg_bite2 "14" //def.=10

sk_snark_dmg_bite3 "21" //def.=10

sk_snark_dmg_pop1 "0" //def.=5 [Removed. Melee is safe(r) now]

sk_snark_dmg_pop2 "0" //def.=5

sk_snark_dmg_pop3 "0" //def.=5

//Houndeye

sk_houndeye_health1 "49" //def.=20

sk_houndeye_health2 "56" //def.=20

sk_houndeye_health3 "70" //def.=30

sk_houndeye_dmg_blast1 "66" //def.=10

sk_houndeye_dmg_blast2 "79" //def.=15

sk_houndeye_dmg_blast3 "99" //def.=15

//Bullsquid

sk_bullsquid_health1 "72" //def.=40

sk_bullsquid_health2 "95" //def.=40 [maybe 90?]

sk_bullsquid_health3 "110" //def.=120

sk_bullsquid_dmg_bite1 "33"

Skill.cfg PART 2 (and Also Below Here)

//def.=15

sk_bullsquid_dmg_bite2 "36" //def.=25

sk_bullsquid_dmg_bite3 "49" //def.=25

sk_bullsquid_dmg_whip1 "49" //def.=25

sk_bullsquid_dmg_whip2 "60" //def.=35

sk_bullsquid_dmg_whip3 "72" //def.=35

sk_bullsquid_dmg_spit1 "25" //def.=10

sk_bullsquid_dmg_spit2 "30" //def.=10

sk_bullsquid_dmg_spit3 "36" //def.=15

//ISlave [Vortigaunt]

sk_islave_health1 "45" //def.=30

sk_islave_health2 "57" //def.=30

sk_islave_health3 "66" //def.=60

sk_islave_dmg_claw1 "16" //def.=10 [Per hit, they slap in 2's]

sk_islave_dmg_claw2 "19" //def.=10

sk_islave_dmg_claw3 "26" //def.=10

sk_islave_dmg_clawrake1 "30" //def.=25

sk_islave_dmg_clawrake2 "40" //def.=25

sk_islave_dmg_clawrake3 "50" //def.=25

sk_islave_dmg_zap1 "11" //def.=10, DMG doubled in-game for some reason, so set to half of desired

sk_islave_dmg_zap2 "16" //def.=10

sk_islave_dmg_zap3 "15" //def.=15 [Chargeup is MUCH faster on Hard]

//Headcrab

sk_headcrab_health1 "16.5" //def.=10

sk_headcrab_health2 "16.5" //def.=10

sk_headcrab_health3 "16.5" //def.=20

sk_headcrab_dmg_bite1 "20" //def.=5

sk_headcrab_dmg_bite2 "25" //def.=10

sk_headcrab_dmg_bite3 "33" //def.=10

//Zombie [scientist zombie]

sk_zombie_health1 "66" //def.=50

sk_zombie_health2 "84" //def.=50

sk_zombie_health3 "99" //def.=100

//Zombie Guard [security zombie]

sk_zombie_guard_health1 "71" //def.=50

sk_zombie_guard_health2 "88" //def.=50

sk_zombie_guard_health3 "105" //def.=100

//Zombie Grunt [Military zombie]

sk_zombie_grunt_health1 "77" //def.=75

sk_zombie_grunt_health2 "92" //def.=75

sk_zombie_grunt_health3 "110" //def.=125

sk_zombie_dmg_one_slash1 "33" //def.=10

sk_zombie_dmg_one_slash2 "38" //def.=20 [38dmg: at 100HP 0ARM, 2 hits leaves player at 24HP]

sk_zombie_dmg_one_slash3 "50" //def.=20 [50dmg: at 100HP 0ARM, 2 hits kills the player]

sk_zombie_dmg_both_slash1 "25" //def.=25

sk_zombie_dmg_both_slash2 "32" //def.=40

sk_zombie_dmg_both_slash3 "37" //def.=40

//Alien Grunt

sk_agrunt_health1 "90" //def.=60

sk_agrunt_health2 "100" //def.=90

sk_agrunt_health3 "119" //def.=120 [7dmg Glock does 119dmg in 17 shots]

sk_agrunt_dmg_punch1 "36" //def.=10

sk_agrunt_dmg_punch2 "49" //def.=20

sk_agrunt_dmg_punch3 "72" //def.=20

sk_hornet_dmg1 "9" //def.=4 [enemy hornet damage]

sk_hornet_dmg2 "11" //def.=5

sk_hornet_dmg3 "16" //def.=8

//Controller [Floating big-headed zap-orb-throwing aliens]

sk_controller_health1 "51" //def.=60

sk_controller_health2 "66" //def.=60

sk_controller_health3 "72" //def.=100

sk_controller_dmgzap1 "24" //def.=15 [big slow, homing energy ball fired from their heads]

sk_controller_dmgzap2 "29" //def.=25

sk_controller_dmgzap3 "33" //def.=35

sk_controller_speedball1 "800" //def.=650 [speed of their small, fast energy balls]

sk_controller_speedball2 "800" //def.=800

sk_controller_speedball3 "800" //def.=1000

sk_controller_dmgball1 "10" //def.=3 [small energy balls fired rapidly from their hands]

sk_controller_dmgball2 "15" //def.=4

sk_controller_dmgball3 "23" //def.=5

//Icthyosaur [Alien shark from the pits of hell]

sk_ichthyosaur_health1 "150" //def.=200

sk_ichthyosaur_health2 "185" //def.=200

sk_ichthyosaur_health3 "225" //def.=400

sk_ichthyosaur_shake1 "66" //def.=20

sk_ichthyosaur_shake2 "72" //def.=35

sk_ichthyosaur_shake3 "300" //def.=50

//Gargantua [It's not easy being big and blue]

sk_gargantua_health1 "800" //def.=800

sk_gargantua_health2 "800" //def.=800

sk_gargantua_health3 "1000" //def.=1000

sk_gargantua_dmg_slash1 "70" //def.=10

sk_gargantua_dmg_slash2 "99" //def.=30

sk_gargantua_dmg_slash3 "300" //def.=30

sk_gargantua_dmg_fire1 "3" //def.=3

sk_gargantua_dmg_fire2 "4" //def.=5

sk_gargantua_dmg_fire3 "5" //def.=5

sk_gargantua_dmg_stomp1 "70" //def.=50

sk_gargantua_dmg_stomp2 "99" //def.=100

sk_gargantua_dmg_stomp3 "300" //def.=100

//Big momma [Gonarch]

sk_bigmomma_health_factor1 "2.0" //def.=1.0 [HP multiplier per difficulty]

sk_bigmomma_health_factor2 "2.25" //def.=1.5

sk_bigmomma_health_factor3 "2.5" //def.=2

sk_bigmomma_dmg_slash1 "60" //def.=50 [Kicking the heck out of you]

sk_bigmomma_dmg_slash2 "72" //def.=60

sk_bigmomma_dmg_slash3 "140" //def.=70

sk_bigmomma_dmg_blast1 "199" //def.=100 [White acid attack. Dmg falls off REALLY fast towards outer edge of blast radius]

sk_bigmomma_dmg_blast2 "250" //def.=120

sk_bigmomma_dmg_blast3 "300" //def.=160

sk_bigmomma_radius_blast1 "300" //def.=250 [blast radius of the acid]

sk_bigmomma_radius_blast2 "300" //def.=250

sk_bigmomma_radius_blast3 "300" //def.=275

//babycrab HP_Easy 6,Medium,7,Hard,9. DMG_Easy,6,Medium,8,Hard,9.

//Nihilanth [big space baby]

sk_nihilanth_health1 "1000" //def.=800

sk_nihilanth_health2 "1000" //def.=800

sk_nihilanth_health3 "1200" //def.=1000

sk_nihilanth_zap1 "23" //def.=30

sk_nihilanth_zap2 "30" //def.=30

sk_nihilanth_zap3 "33" //def.=50

//HEALTH/ARMOR

sk_healthcharger1 "50" //def.=50 [total health restored by wall-mounted health charger]

sk_healthcharger2 "40" //def.=40

sk_healthcharger3 "35" //def.=25

sk_suitcharger1 "60" //def.=75 [total armor granted by wall-mounted suit charger]

sk_suitcharger2 "50" //def.=50

sk_suitcharger3 "40" //def.=35

sk_healthkit1 "25" //def.=15 [health value of medkit pickups]

sk_healthkit2 "20" //def.=15

sk_healthkit3 "15" //def.=10

sk_battery1 "15" //def.=15 [armor value of battery pickups]

sk_battery2 "10" //def.=15

sk_battery3 "10" //def.=10

//ENEMY DAMAGE ADJUSTERS [damage location multipliers]

sk_monster_head1 "2" //def.=3

sk_monster_head2 "2" //def.=3

sk_monster_head3 "2" //def.=3

sk_monster_chest1 "1"

sk_monster_chest2 "1"

sk_monster_chest3 "1"

sk_monster_stomach1 "1"

sk_monster_stomach2 "1"

sk_monster_stomach3 "1"

sk_monster_arm1 "1"

sk_monster_arm2 "1"

sk_monster_arm3 "1"

sk_monster_leg1 "1"

sk_monster_leg2 "1"

sk_monster_leg3 "1"

//PLAYER DAMAGE ADJUSTERS

sk_player_head1 "2" //def.=3

sk_player_head2 "2" //def.=3

sk_player_head3 "2" //def.=3

sk_player_chest1 "1"

sk_player_chest2 "1"

sk_player_chest3 "1"

sk_player_stomach1 "1"

sk_player_stomach2 "1"

sk_player_stomach3 "1"

sk_player_arm1 "1"

sk_player_arm2 "1"

sk_player_arm3 "1"

sk_player_leg1 "1"

sk_player_leg2 "1"

sk_player_leg3 "1"

//Ceiling-mounted purple alien zappy thingy in the first Xen level has 165HP.

//SS XL2 Lasergun

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_client1 "5"

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_client2 "5"

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_client3 "5"

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_monster1 "8"

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_monster2 "8"

sk_plr_lasergun_laser_monster3 "8"

sk_mon_hornetpuke_dmg1 "25" //[UNUSED]

sk_mon_hornetpuke_dmg2 "35"

sk_mon_hornetpuke_dmg3 "45"

// HGB Flak

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_client1 "15"

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_client2 "15"

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_client3 "15"

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_monster1 "15"

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_monster2 "15"

sk_plr_hgbflak_shrapnel_monster3 "15"

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_client1 "10" //[DMG to players, irrelevant]

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_client2 "10"

sk_plr_xbow_bolt_client3 "10"

Post-Install, How To Get Updates, And Uninstallation

Please note that the very first line of the modified skill.cfg also says the mod version, and so does the title of this guide. If I make any updates, I will update that version number, so you can check if you're running the latest version.

Uninstallation is easy. If you made a vanilla backup of your skill.cfg file, simply delete your current skill.cfg and replace it with your backup. Make sure your backup is named "skill.cfg", because that's what the game is specifically trying to load, and any other name (like "skillVANILLA.cfg") won't be automatically run.

And that's all! I hope you enjoy. :)

Listed below are some extras if you're curious.

Extra Config Commands You May Like

During testing, I found a few extra commands you can add to .cfg files if you like the features. Note that these are optional. This section lists the commands you can copy, and the next section covers descriptions and explanations of what they do.

Please read the "Closing Information" segment at the bottom of this section if you use any of these features, since it covers how to temporarily disable or permanently delete them.

Launch Parameters:

Also known as Command Line parameters, these are added to the end of the .exe shortcut on launch to change, edit, or modify whatever. Launch Parameters don't go into any .cfg files, instead, they're added into Steams own neat little UI.

Here's how: Right-click on HL1:MMod in your Steam games library and click Properties at the bottom. Now you should be on the General tab by default (if not, click General at the top-left). Towards the bottom of this page is a blank field you can add text to, such as a custom resolution or fullscreen/windowed mode.

But specifically for HL1 (and other GoldSource and Source games), you can add cvar console commands here too. Simply copy-paste a line into that blank field, and it'll run when the game starts.

Lines To Add:+load quick -window -noborder -width 2560 -height 1440

You can change this to 1920 and 1080, or whatever resolution.

Feature Explanation:+load quick

With this line, launching the game will also load your latest quicksave automatically, letting you start up and play quickly. You can also write "+load autosave" instead, if you'd rather load the most recent autosave, which is good for a hardcore no-quicksaving run.surprisingly fun, at least until you die :(

-window and -noborder will run the game in a window and set it to borderless fullscreen respectively.

-width # and -height # will set a custom resolution.

autoexec.cfg:

Before we get to commands, some basic but important info first: The "autoexec.cfg" file is where you can add any desired cvars (short for "console variables", also known simply as a console command). The autoexec.cfg seems to load last and thus takes final priority, so it's ideal for this, since nothing else will overwrite it.The only reason I recommend adding commands here instead of the Steam Launch options described above is because if you use many commands, the Steam Launch options become difficult to see them all since it's only one flat little line that you can't expand

Any added lines will run automatically when you start the game. For example, adding the line sv_cheats 1 to this file means cheats will be on by default, so you don't have to enable it every time (There's no downside to enabling cheats; it doesn't disable achievements or anything, because MMod doesn't have any).

The autoexec.cfg is located in your (…Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life MMod\HL1MMod) folder, the same one where skill.cfg is. Open it, and add the following lines (if desired). Right now, there's just one as an example:

Lines To Add:fps_max 288

Feature Explanation:fps_max

Sets your max frame rate, which can be good in a game like HL where modern hardware can run very high FPS numbers. But what's so bad about that? Nothing, really, it just means your poor GPU can rest a bit, because it's designed by default to run whatever game with as high a framerate as possible, so capping it means less power use and less wear and tear. Pro tip: Some older games like Dead Space can glitch out weirdly when it comes to physics and time, because they're coded to measure time by the number of frames per second, so limiting your FPS can actually be required to even play.

userconfig.cfg:

The "userconfig.cfg" file is where you can add custom keybinds.

The "userconfig.cfg" file is located in your (…Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life MMod\valve) folder (NOT the same one where skill.cfg is. Back out once, then scroll down to the "valve" folder). Open that config file, then add the following lines (if desired).

Lines To Add://NAME:FastMousewheel Just a name for reference, has no function

bind mwheelup "invnext;+attack;wait;-attack"

bind mwheeldown "invprev;+attack;wait;-attack"

//NAME:CheatsToggle

bind o toggle_cheats

alias cheats_on "sv_cheats 1; alias toggle_cheats cheats_off; echo Cheats Enabled; say Cheats Enabled"

alias cheats_off "sv_cheats 0; alias toggle_cheats cheats_on; echo Cheats Disabled; say Cheats Disabled"

alias toggle_cheats cheats_on

bind SHIFT +holdrun

alias +holdrun "cl_forwardspeed 320;cl_sidespeed 320"

alias -holdrun "cl_forwardspeed 240;cl_sidespeed 240"

bind ALT togglewalk

alias +togglewalk "+speed; alias togglewalk -togglewalk"

alias -togglewalk "-speed; alias togglewalk +togglewalk"

alias togglewalk +togglewalk

bind c toggleduck

alias +toggleduck "+duck; alias toggleduck -toggleduck"

alias -toggleduck "-duck; alias toggleduck +toggleduck"

alias toggleduck +toggleduck

Closing Information, How To Uninstall/Remove/ResetBefore I get to the fun descriptions of what all these features actually do, I want to cover the boring basics: How to undo.

Technically the info below only matters if you've actually added the above features, so you can skip to the next section if you're eager for the descriptions, just be sure to come back to here for the info you'll need if you want to remove a feature. ;)

To disable but not delete a feature that you don't want (in any .cfg file, including skill, autoexec, or userconfig), you can add two Forward-Slashes at the very beginning of a line. The game will ignore text that's after two Forward-Slashes (//), which is how devs and modders (like me!) add comments and notes after variables.

For example, this line: "//load quick" is disabled. This allows you to enable and disable features easily.

But note that this line: "load quick //a quickload feature for Half-Life!" will still run. To repeat, everything after the Forward-Slashes is ignored.

To completely delete a feature, simply remove the lines you've added. Alternatively, deleting the entire config file itself (autoexec.cfg, userconfig.cfg, skill.cfg, etc…) and then Verifying your game cache will redownload a fresh, vanilla replacement if you want to start from scratch.

Important:But keybinds you've bound get stored in your config.cfg file (in the same folder as skill.cfg), so that they remain even if you restart the game. This is good, but also means that if you remove the bind lines, you also need to remove these bound keys too (don't worry, it's super easy).

To remove a keybind that's been bound, the easiest is to just type unbind "KEY" whenever you remove it's corresponding command lines. Don't like the FastMousewheel feature? Simply disable or delete the lines for the feature in userconfig.cfg, then type unbind mwheelup and unbind mwheeldown to remove the binds for both keys.

If you suspect that you have multiple unwanted bound keys leftover, you can open up your config.cfg and manually look for them.

Worst-case scenario, you can simply type the unbindall command to remove every keybind (relax, this is fine, just keep reading), then go into your in-game keyboard controls and reset everything to vanilla with the "Use Defaults" button. This method will only delete the contents of the config.cfg file, not your custom commands in autoexec.cfg or userconfig.cfg, so all you'll need to do is re-bind the basic keys in the in-game keyboard controls.

Feature Explanations

Tell us what da heck these even do already!

FastMousewheel:

Simply removes the need to click-to-confirm when mousewheel scrolling through your weapons; one scroll equals one weapon switch, no weapon selection HUD. This is good if your mouse has very distinct scrolling, but may be a bit confusing if your scroll wheel is completely smooth.

If you prefer vanilla's inverted scrolling, simply swap "mwheelup" and "mwheeldown" around (or "invnext" and "invprev") to restore scroll-up-to-go-down behaviour, you upside-downy weirdo.

CheatsToggle:

A simple single-button-press toggle to enable or disable sv_cheats. Replace the "o" on the "bind" line with your desired key.

If you don't want the text confirmation, remove the ; say Cheats Enabled and ; say Cheats Disabled from the ends of the two lines (Important: don't remove the ; echo Cheats Enabled or Disabled part, because the echo parts are needed for the feature to work).

holdrun:

For those who dislike Always Run, these lines disable it, so you walk by default and must press the bound key when you want to run (feel free to change SHIFT to whatever your preferred key). I find it gives me more control of my movement, especially when parkouring is involved. This improved method doesn't use or replace the default Walk key, so you have three movement options now.

You could technically make as many movespeeds as you want with commands like:

bind x +moderatelyfastwalk

alias +moderatelyfastwalk "cl_forwardspeed 209;cl_sidespeed 209;cl_backspeed 209"

alias -moderatelyfastwalk "cl_forwardspeed 320;cl_sidespeed 320;cl_backspeed 209"

Just make sure the last line with a minus (-moderatelyfastwalk in the above example) resets the different movespeeds to the default.

togglewalk:

A simple toggle to slow the player down to walk speed. If you use the holdrun feature above, you can hold the run key to fast-walk. Walking speed mostly just helps for parkouring narrow ledges, or if you want to roleplay for a recording/take in the environments more. Gotta get that E3 gameplay somehow.

toggleduck:

Pretty self-explanatory. This feature adds a crouch toggle key, for those who prefer not needing to hold the crouch key down. Warning: It works perfectly fine, but it makes using the Long Jump Module a little trickier, since you must manually un-crouch as an extra step between longjumps.

Top Tips & Stuff You May Not Know About MMod

In this section I'll cover some stuff you might not have known, and generally useful information.

Did You Know?What do you mean, "third attack?"

New Crowbar Attacks:

Did you know that MMod's Crowbar has three different attacks? The Primary Light Attack, the Secondary Heavy Attack, and a Tertiary Power Attack that can be charged for ever-increasing damage.

This third Power Attack is bound to the "Weapon Function" key in the controls menu, the same button used to attach/remove suppressors or the Revolver's laser sight. In testing, I found that there seems to be no upper limit to the Power Attack's damage. Holding it for 40 seconds dealt 400 damage at one point, so do with that info what you will.

Hivehand Hornet Puke: That's an odd sentence

The "Hivehand" is that hornet-gun used by Alien Grunts with the homing hornets. When you find and wield the Hivehand yourself, be aware that this weapon also has a Tertiary Attack that also uses the "Weapon Function" key, named the "Hornet Puke" attack in the files. It launches a projectile bio-grenade-thingy that deals burst damage and releases hornets. This is easily the cheesiest chicken-cheese available, yet I find it useful for killing Snarks or Gonarch's Babycrabs with it's unlimited ammo splash-damage.

Setting up your own custom keybindsSome Tips On The bind command:

In the previous section, I covered adding optional custom keybinds to your userconfig.cfg, but you can also create custom keybinds in-game using the command console. So before I get into the cool stuff, here are the basics of making your own keybinds: In Half-Life's in-game command console, you can type bind KEY "COMMAND". For example, bind g "noclip" (It's good practice to always put quotes around the command, because they're sometimes necessary for it to work, especially when the command has spaces in it or if you bind multiple commands to one key, but more on that below). Note that some commands need "sv_cheats 1" to be typed first to work, like noclip.

If you want to remove a keybind you've made, type unbind KEY. For example, unbind g.

In the previous section where I covered the optional additions to your userconfig.cfg file, you may have noticed in the FastMouseheel feature, I bound Mousewheel Up to "invnext;+attack;wait;-attack". This is how you bind more than one command to a single key, by adding a Semicolon ";" between each command.

A practical example is combining "sv_cheats 1" and "impulse 101" into one key, which makes sense because you need cheats on anyway for impulse 101 to work. To do that, type the following into the console:

bind i "sv_cheats 1;impulse 101"

But what if you wanted cheats to turn back off automatically after? Well you can't just add another semicolon and sv_cheats 0, because all the commands bound to a key execute simultaneously by default, so you need to add one wait command first, like this:

bind i "sv_cheats 1;impulse 101;wait;sv_cheats 0"

Great! Now every time you press your chosen key, it does all that in one. Lastly, I want to cover using bind for default Half-Life keys. All default keys like "Jump" and "Move forward" have their own console command that you can use to bind stuff, but they can have weird names, like "impulse 100" is actually the flashlight. For all of your current default keybindings, you can find out what their names are by opening your config.cfg file located at (…Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life MMod\HL1MMod) folder.

You may notice some of these keybinds have a minus "-" or a plus "+" in front, like +jump. This is important, because if you simply type bind SPACE "+jump", you'll find that you can jump once when pressing Space, but never again. Why? Well, when the game processes +jump, it believes the key is being held down and is waiting for a -jump to tell it that the key is released. Basically, every command starting with a + means the key will be processed as if being held down, and has a matching command starting with a - to process a key's release.

So to make this keybind work, you either need to copy-paste the "alias" parts listed above in the userconfig.cfg section to properly define button-press versus button-release, or write the command with a -jump after a wait, like this:

bind SPACE "+jump;wait;-jump"

This is just a basic little tutorial based on what I've learned by poking and prodding at the game, but I hope it was helpful.

How To Maximize Your Fun

(Change the way you play)Obviously a video game can become much easier or way harder depending on how you play. The same is true about fun. A game you find too easy can be more fun if you limit yourself to only some weapons, or if you deliberately unbind your quicksave button to rely only on autosaves, for example.

For the longest time, I was struggling to balance some of the super-powerful weapons in this game. For example, the .357 Revolver is too effective at 1-shot headshotting Marines with it's laser sight, but if I nerf the Revolver to the point of needing two headshots to kill a Marine, the Revolver practically becomes a BB gun. Also, the Crowbar's Power Attack makes melee fights with Zombies a walk in the park (complete with unicorns and rainbows), but the actual Power Attack damage is hardcoded.

The point is, sometimes I want to struggle, dang it! Overpowered strategies can be an anticlimax on otherwise-difficult obstacles. So up until now, I've just been using self-imposed rules to avoid some of the cheesier strategies that I can't balance.

So all of this is a long-winded way of saying that I had the idea to write down some of the "challenges" I've come up with, listed below.

Want a challenge? Here's some self-imposed rules you can tryGenocide: This one's pretty basic, but may leave you lacking ammo more often. Kill every enemy you come across. Yes, even all the Barnacles. Leave no alien, HECU, or whatever other hellspawn alive!

No Tertiaries: Unbind your "Weapon Function" keybind, removing your ability to use the Crowbar's Power Attack, sound suppressors, the Revolver's Laser, the Hivehand's "Hornetpuke" attack, etc…

Military Man: You don't trust that Commie voodoo. Restrict your arsenal to only the Glock, 357, MP5, Shotgun, RPG, and Hand Grenades. No Crossbow, no fancy uranium-powered energy weapons, definitely no alien bug-spitting weapon, no Tripmines or Satchel Charges, and yes, no Crowbar. If you have nothing else, well, then you'd best get good at kiting and dodging, because you can only use it to break the mandatory plane of glass when first finding the Crowbar. Out of ammo? Run.

Savior Don't Need No Saving: Salvation lies only ahead, nowhere else. Unbind your quicksave key and rely on autosaves alone. The ultimate anathema to save-scumming. Alternatively, only save between enemy encounters, never during.What, were you expecting perma-death hardcore? The people who enjoy that would already have thought of it, and even I'm not a big enough masochist to try it.

Extra: Fast-Weapon-Switch Keybinds

The problem:I've always wanted a "fast-weapon-switch" feature like in Half-Life 2. Unfortunately, this seems impossible. For example, to try and skip Half-Life's manual click-to confirm to swap weapons, I tried changing the binding of the number 3 from simply the one slot3 command to having both slot3 and +attack to include an auto-click-confirm. But this doesn't work, since HL1 selects the uppermost weapon in each category when pressing a number key. So every time I pushed 3, it'd only switch to the SMG and never go further down to the Shotgun or Crossbow.

A solution:The best "fix" I've discovered is to bind each individual weapon to a key. So one key selects one gun, like other oldschool shooters, instead of HL's signature slotted inventory where each number key cycles deeper into a category of weapons.

Not exactly a HL2-style fast-switch, but I find it's worth trying. It takes some getting used to and may not be for everyone, but I like the silent weapon switching and the speediness of being able to swap to weapons like the Crossbow or Displacer Cannon with one button, so I've made this guide so you can try it out for yourself.

Remember that you can change any of my preset bindings to whatever you prefer, or even only use some of the commands, like for weapons that slot particularly deep inside a category (eg, Snarks or the Hivehand).

The following is the list of command lines that bind each weapon. Installation/Uninstallation instructions are below.

Yes, my controls are weird

Command Lines:bind 1 "weapon_crowbar"

bind 2 "weapon_9mmhandgun"

bind 3 "weapon_357"

bind 4 "weapon_9mmAR"

bind 5 "weapon_shotgun"

bind 6 "weapon_crossbow"

bind F1 "weapon_rpg"

bind F2 "weapon_gauss"

bind F3 "weapon_egon"

bind tab "weapon_hornetgun"

bind F4 "weapon_displacer"

bind mouse4 "weapon_handgrenade"

bind mwheelup "weapon_satchel"

bind mwheeldown "weapon_tripmine"

bind mouse3 "weapon_snark"

How to install:There are two methods. First, copy-paste the above lines one at a time into the in-game command console to bind each weapon.

Second, create a .cfg file and copy the above lines into it, so you can run them all instead of typing each one. Here's how:

Right-click and make a new .txt file anywhere. Rename it to something you'll recognize like _weaponbinds.cfg or somethingPro tip: An underscore "_" at the start of the name sorts alphabetically above other files, making it easy to keep track of which files are your custom ones or MMod's own files . Just make sure it ends in .cfg (not .txt), or the game won't run it. You can ignore Windows' warning about changing file extensions.

Open your new .cfg file and copy-paste the above command lines into it. Save the file.

Place the file into your (…Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life MMod\HL1MMod) folder, the same folder as skill.cfg.

Launch the game and open the in-game command console with the console "`" key (the key to the immediate left of the 1 key). If this key does nothing, you may need to reset your controls to default.

Type exec _weaponbinds.cfg (or whatever you named your .cfg file) into the console and press enter. Make sure to type the entire name, including any underscore _ or other symbols you may have added, and the .cfg at the end.The changes should be instant and not require you to load a savegame or restart the game, so you can now press each bound key to instantly switch to a specific weapon.

How to uninstall:Similar to installing, but the other way around, you need to use the unbind command instead of bind. For example, unbind 1 "weapon_crowbar". Once a key is unbound, you can then either use the in-game options menu to set your keyboard controls back, or read below to create a .cfg file similar to the one listed above.

For your convenience, I've listed the lines needed for a complete uninstall .cfg file that will unbind all of the custom weapon bindings and restore the default keybinds at the same time:

Follow the same steps as above to create a new .cfg file, name it _vanillabinds.cfg or something, copy the lines below into it and save, move it into the HL1MMod folder, then type exec _vanillabinds.cfg (or whatever you named it).

Command Lines:unbind 1 "weapon_crowbar"

unbind 2 "weapon_9mmhandgun"

unbind 3 "weapon_357"

unbind 4 "weapon_9mmAR"

unbind 5 "weapon_shotgun"

unbind 6 "weapon_crossbow"

unbind F1 "weapon_rpg"

unbind F2 "weapon_gauss"

unbind F3 "weapon_egon"

unbind tab "weapon_hornetgun"

unbind F4 "weapon_displacer"

unbind mouse4 "weapon_handgrenade"

unbind mwheelup "weapon_satchel"

unbind mwheeldown "weapon_tripmine"

unbind mouse3 "weapon_snark"

wait

bind 1 "slot1"

bind 2 "slot2"

bind 3 "slot3"

bind 4 "slot4"

bind 5 "slot5"

bind mwheeldown "invprev"

bind mwheelup "invnext"

And that's it. If you managed to read this far, you get a cookie.If you do end up trying these custom keys, have fun fighting up to nearly three decades of muscle-memory with completely new keybinds! Especially if you change them back to vanilla…you don't want to know how easy it is to accidentally face-RPG oneself instead of switching weapons

Closing

This is the end of my word wall word monument. Now my fingers may rest, and you can recover from my excessive use of bold text and Steam's other fancy text formatting features.

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.die. repeat.

…

When is Hard-Life finally going to release? :(

No, not HALF-Life, HARD-Life, with a hard R. Wait, not that hard R! I'm just going to go away now.

Changelog

Update v1.15:Headcrab HP set to 16.5 for all difficulties. Turns out, tanky headcrabs are not ideal. Why 16.5HP specifically? That's exactly 3 Shotgun pellets, making it an effective weapon against them as it should be.

Update v1.14:Healing from Scientists from 40,34,25 on Easy,Medium,Hard to 35,30,25

Update v1.13:Crowbar Secondary damage from 17 to 16 on Hard so it 3-shots headshots Zombies, not 2

Update v1.12:Vortigaunt HP on Hard from 68 to 66, so they can once again be double-shotgun blasted 1-shot if every pellet hits (or if some hit the "head")

Update v1.11:Sci-Zombie HP on Easy,Medium,Hard from 66,72,105 to 66,84,99

Sec-Zombie HP on Easy,Medium,Hard from 72,85,110 to 71,88,105 (1 less Shotgun pellet to kill on Easy)

HECU-Zombie HP on Easy,Hard from 78,115 to 77,110 (1 less Shot pellet on Easy)

Might need to make Zombie Guards and Marines tougher/less similar to regular ones, since they're so rare. Regardless, now their HPs are neater and closer together within their respective difficulties

Update v1.1:REBALANCED SHOTGUN DAMAGE. Deals 5.5 per pellet on all modes (down from 6). This gives me freedom to make the Shotgun less of the no-brainer obviously best choice. Against Marines for example, it could reliably deal significant damage at unexpectedly long ranges. Shotgun still wrecks them up close, and still strong in general

Minor, irrelevant buff to Marine HP on Hard from 52 to 54 so they have 3HP left after a Crossbow hit and not a measly 1

Assassin HP on Hard from 43 to 41

Turret HP on Medium from 72 to 78

Houndeye HP on Easy,Medium,Hard from 51,63,73 to 49,56,70. Still tanky as heck on Hard, but 1 less Pistol shot should help early-game

Vortigaunt HP on Easy,Medium from 48,54 to 45,57

Vortigaunt Zap DMG on Hard from 16 to 15. Yes, on Medium it deals 16, but they charge their attacks ridiculously fast on Hard

Headcrab HP on Hard from 30 to 31. They now 5-shot from Glock and 7-shot from SMG, not 5 & 6. Not sure if super tanky Headcrabs are ideal, but this makes more sense for now

Headcrab DMG on Easy,Medium from 23,29 to 20,25

Sci-Zombie HP on Easy from 67 to 66. Makes them 1-shottable with single Shotgun shot

Zombie side-slap DMG on Easy,Medium from 38,43 to 33,38

Zombie overhead DMG on Easy,Medium from 30,34 to 25,32

Equalized Gonarch's spit attack Blast Radius for all 3 difficulties so that you don't have to re-learn it depending on difficulty. (300 unit radius).

Update v1.06:Scientist HP from 68 to 66 for no particular reason A certain Scientist was refusing to die from the explosive tank beside him :) .

Update v1.05:Headcrab HP on Easy from 24 to 21 to allow 3-shot Glock kill.

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3400229173

How To Install OBO for HL1:MMod V1.15