@noodleman , you're the first to report loading problems. Does it run OK once the map loads? My only suggestion would be to make sure you have all other addons disabled and see if that helps. 1Blindness is the first map.

@I_Monarch_I i tried loading map 1 but it took over like 7 minutes, then i tried seeing if it was the warmup map that i had to load first but that wasn't letting me in either, i have all parts installed and activated

@noodleman , which map are you finding takes a long time to load? Did you subscribe to and enable all parts of the collection before beginning?

why does this take a century to load?

@Lola, thanks for describing where you found performance problems on your machine. The remainder of the maps are "lighter" from a technical design standpoint and you might find performance improves.

@I_Monarch_I thank you very much anyway ❤️

It's a cool mod. But why was there a weapon upgrade machine but no resin?

All of them. I got to the first barrier being disabled, started moving across the way, moving forward. Got to where the headcrabs start lunging at you, got a headache from all the lag (uncommon) and then went and got a drink and stopped playing.

I've never had this lag before in other experiences like the two Rapture campaigns or Biohacking. Matrix gave my computer the what for due to it's buggy mess of code, but I've never had performance lag this poor before. I'm hesitant to call it a PC issue since this thing has managed to tank so much so far, but I will retry this after moving some furniture and such. Maybe it will be better in time?

@Lola which map and area did you experience performance issues with?

Gave it about an hour, the concept was very interesting. I'm not one in knowledge about all of fthis but I'm very open; I tried to immerse myself and indulge in the content, but sadly the performance ripped me out each time. I've run other grand HLA mods before with perfect performance, but this is quite monumental a project. Might require a couple couple reloads of each map.

@Lola , let us know when you finish it.

Now this simply must be good.

Had to come back here after one of the best rests of my life - i'm a lifelong insomniac. Normally need about 3 hours to fall asleep, but last night this was the last thing I did, and fell into a deep sleep, during which I had dreams more vivid than usual, with people I haven't spoken to in years along with a few unfamiliar faces. We were watching the moon on a screen, and the people around me were trying to say it was a reflection of the sky that we couldn't see. Finally the 'screen' fell away, to reveal the moon was right there all along, the 'screen' was just a frame. Neat stuff.

I thank you @I_Monarch_I for this experience again. Wonder if it will happen again, today?

@samueleumas thank you so much for your etheric and gracious words and praise. It sounds like the transmission I aimed to share, was truly received in you . Thank you for evolving . Tell your friends. I tried to create an experience that I myself wanted to play in VR. An adventure that empowers and challenges you to expand, to genuinely learn, and to grow.

As you can see in the FAQ, most bugs (including the no hands cant walk glitch) can be fixed by simply reloading a FRESH instance of the level you were glitching out in (3LIGHT) from the main menu.

@phylum sinter : The bathroom is inaccessible :'( :D

@phylum sinter thanks for sharing your perspective on the experience! So happy you enjoyed the diversity of locations on the journey. <3

A Transcendent Odyssey for the Senses: Where the Ethereal and the Digital Collide

Behold, a virtuosic symphony of pixels and passion—this VR marvel is not merely a game but an *epiphany*, a pulsating tapestry of visuals and sonics that bypasses the mundane and plunges directly into the sanctum of your soul. The scenary (a word too pedestrian for such artistry; let us call it *luminous cartography*) is nothing short of a *celestial whisper*, each frame a brushstroke of the divine, beckoning you into realms where reality trembles at the edges.

And the music wow!

This is not entertainment—it is *transfiguration*. A rare, radiant gem in the coal mine of digital diversion, leaving you breathless, altered, and *aching* for more. One can only hope, with fingers clasped in fervent prayer, that such sorcery is not a fleeting anomaly but the dawn of a new epoch in experiential rapture."

however unfortunately at the "LIGHT" level I cant walk or even see my hands..is that by design?

One of the best things i've done in VR this year! An incredible work of art, shocking good in so many ways. Each space feels complete... I'm still wondering how to get in the bathroom though, can you?

Overall though, I wasn't prepared for this level of experience, I am thoroughly dismantled. Like the fan is blowing right through me, the lights in my room reveal motes in flight, in the same process of becoming. Echoes of the same stardust that rests in our eyes after a long sleep, this changed the me part of we today.

Please make more, thank you so much for this. 10/10!

@RUSTY thanks for brining an open heart and mind to the journey. It’s yours to integrate and process depending on what resonates within you.

Thanks for sharing your experience !

It was a high-quality, two-hour-long spiritual experience with beautiful custom assets and a few combat encounters.

The final part, besides the fire, was very calming.

It's not my type of philosophy, but I will definitely google a couple of terms to study them more deeply. I believe that was the author's goal (thank you!).

@I_Monarch_I That sounds awesome. I wish you the best of luck!

@jediPunk Thanks for your kind words. You're absolutely right that this project has been built on the shoudlers of my previous projects. Its been a long , arduous learning process but also a joy to create. Now that this project is complete, I am called to build a new game using UE5, for a more immersive experience exploring similar concepts of consciousness, our base reality, and the pain and beauty of the human experience as perceived through our limited organic hardware and electrical software.

@SavageJoe , thanks for sharing what you enjoyed in the experience! I'm pleased you enjoyed its unique vibe, and reflective tone.

Hey, to put it briefly - this mod is awesome!
In detail, I really enjoyed the mix of beautiful environments, the many texts that truly make you think, and a bit of gameplay, which I found very well done.
On top of that, I’m really impressed by the unique experience you’ve created and how creatively you’ve used your resources.
From my point of view, you’re not far from turning this framework - which you say you’ve been developing for years - into a standalone game.
And by the way, I remember that one of the first mods I ever played was one of your maps called Fire Flight! You can already see the similarities to this mod, and especially the progress you’ve made since then. Take care.

Very nice looking map, loved how the high quality custom assets were used to create a unique environment showing a creative mix of natural rock formations, brutalist architecture, and psychedelic abstract geometry. The use of particle effects and other moving objects make the map feel more like a living environment than a static picture. The effort and time put into this is apparent, it’s pushing the HLA engine to its limits!

There’s some fun, if short, combat encounters, but the majority of the time is spent admiring the scenery and reading spiritual musings around the nature of life and what it means to be human. It’s different from the usual HLA map, but I enjoyed it.

Очень бы хотелось перевести это самому, но, увы, мой русский пока не настолько хорош, чтобы справиться с таким проектом. Надеюсь, ты всё равно сможешь насладиться этим опытом — ведь в нём есть что-то ценное, даже помимо слов.

а перевод будет?

С удовольствием ознакомимся, спасибо большое!

@λrokh thanks for your feedback! I'm glad to hear parts of the transmission resonated with you. This experience is an invitation to know yourself more deeply through how it challenges what you feel, know and believe is real. I'm happy to hear it caught your attention!

A unique and quite unusual map in the Half Life Alyx workshop.
I dealt with the "lower-dimensional shadow projection of reality" and chose the non-combat path this time.
Truly fantastic environments, obscure scenes and spiritual literature to give me some goose-bumps.
Some statements to agree with and some not to.
Throughout the playthrough I was deeply impressed by the alien worlds I visited, leaving me with the wish that these could be explored even further since there is so much story to interprete there - probably not in this addon but probably in some future one.
Honestly, some of them could easily be the backbone of whole movies. Very well done!
My playthrough: https://youtu.be/EPR32ITwREU

@collindrennen thanks for your in depth feedback I’m glad you enjoyed the exploration. I have no comment on the core point of the message at this time, as far as I’m concerned that’s for the player to extract, reflect, and absorb. I’ve never encountered the health pen bug you’re referring to. Interesting.

As you can probably imagine, I was close to cutting out all combat at one point, decided the conflict oriented folks needed a reason beyond my writing and quotations to be in the world.

The game experience starts and finishes in the same area. If you found yourself back “home” you are complete. It’s just a question of how many Easter eggs you noticed/ heard along the way ;) 🙏❤️

Gameplay wise, the 'first aid shots' still didn't work for the remainder of the game, so by the time I got to the end of the game, I was practically one gun shot away from death.
Maybe there was a point to that, given the narrative being espoused in the game? The way to life is through love, and not through conflict, but I was confused because I could still die in the game through someone else's conflict.

Enough navel gazing.

The game is exceptionally beautiful, and an absolute pleasure to navigate/walk through.
The game delivers a narrative on a different way of looking at life. Some will find it preachy, some may find some nuggets of insight.
This workshop offering provided a different experience. If you are looking for standard combat fare, 'these are not the droids you are looking for'.

I believe I completed the 4th level, as I have returned to where I started from.

Levels 3 and 4 continued the overall motif of levels 1 & 2: a mixture of exploration, exposition on how to view oneself outside of how we see ourselves, and some occasional battles.

The environments are wonderfully constructed, and are a real pleasure to see.
Regarding the exposition, it was tough for me to tell at the end if I read somebody's personal manifesto on how we really see ourselves or not. The exposition makes good points I think in some cases, but I could also argue it gives different views on life lessons you've heard elsewhere.

Gameplay and motion controls are fairly standard HL:A fare, with the only problem being that near the end of Level 2, I was unable to inject myself with ant 'first aid shots' (before that, it was fine).

Overall, for what I have played so far, I am enjoying the discovery of a most interesting planet...now hopefully, I'll find out why I'm here.

There will be more to follow.

Up through the first half of level 2, I would describe it as a psychedelic walking simulator with considerable expositional dumps on man's (and woman's) awareness (or lack thereof) within the universe. I can't say the exposition works well for myself, I understand most of what is being said, but lack the ability to tie it into something representing a cohesive theme/point.

It is because of my current inability to tie the narrative to the environment is why I label it as something as coarse as a walking simulator.

Within level 2, you start facing enemies from the regular game, but I can't quite link the reason for their presence yet (perhaps I'll need to complete more of the game to gain further insight).

The locales/set pieces are extraordinary in design and layout, making for an interesting exploration of the environment.

Played on a i9-13k, 32GB RAM, RTX 4090 with a Valve Index. Initial observations are as follows:

I have just reached the start of Part 3, so these comments will address only through Part 2.

No workshop offering has given me pause on providing a rudimentary explanation of what I think the level represent.....until now.

Up through the mid-point of part 2, I would describe it as THE Acid Trip that the Beatles, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix took given their supplier was part Cthulhu and Shuma-Gorath (Dr. Strange) living in an open-level terrace representing locales such as Pandora, Mordor, Dune, and a Jack Kirby mixture of the Negative Zone and Asgardian Stone Temples, along with the best skybox-type visuals I think I have ever seen.