Bubble Mod is a server side modification for Half-Life deathmatch which adds new weapons, runes, server features and a number of changes to the original gameplay.
This page covers the original Bubble Mod. It is separate from Bubble 25, the newer project I have been working on elsewhere on MightyXen.
One of the nice things about Bubble Mod is that players do not need to install anything themselves. Everything runs on the server, so you can simply join a server running the mod and play.
Download
- – Original Bubble Mod release including source code
How Bubble Mod Changes Half-Life
Bubble Mod keeps the speed and general feel of Half-Life deathmatch, but changes quite a few of the weapons and adds a number of its own gameplay systems.
Some of the more powerful parts of normal HLDM are toned down. The Tau Cannon no longer causes the same extreme splash damage through walls, RPG damage is reduced, the crossbow is less powerful in sniper mode and the MP5 grenades are more restricted.
At the same time, the mod adds runes, alternate weapon attacks, spawn protection, map specific settings and a collection of server and match features.
The result still feels very much like Half-Life, but with a different balance and quite a lot more going on.
Spawn Protection
Bubble Mod includes its own spawn protection system to discourage players from simply sitting on spawn points and collecting easy kills.
Newly spawned players receive temporary protection. The protection ends once the player starts fighting or switches weapons.
The mod can also detect players being killed shortly after spawning and can respond with warnings, remove the score from the kill or take further action against repeated abuse.
Tripmines, Snark Mines and satchels placed directly on spawn points can also be detected and destroyed automatically.
Type Protection
Type Protection is one of the more unusual Bubble Mod features and is intended for players who need to stop for a moment to type, read the MOTD or deal with something away from the game.
To enter Type Protection, equip the crowbar, face a wall and remain still.
While protected, other players cannot legitimately kill you for a frag and attackers can be penalised. The original system also includes a rear facing fisheye camera so you can still see what is happening behind you.
Moving, attacking, changing weapon or interacting with items takes you out of the protected state.
Weapon Changes
Several of the normal Half-Life weapons behave differently in Bubble Mod. Some are rebalanced, while others receive completely new secondary attacks.
Tau Cannon
The Tau Cannon can still penetrate walls, but the splash damage is significantly reduced. You can still catch someone through a wall, but it requires considerably more accuracy than simply firing at the other side and hoping for the best.
RPG
The RPG does less explosive damage than the standard Half-Life version, making it less dominant in small rooms and confined areas.
Crossbow
The sniper attack does less damage. Long distance kills are still possible, but the crossbow is not quite as brutal as it is in standard HLDM. Tracers can also be enabled.
MP5
The MP5 grenades have reduced damage and more limited availability, which helps cut down on constant grenade spam.
Shotgun
Bubble Mod also includes an optional Super Shotgun mode which can be enabled by the server.
Crowbar
The crowbar gets one of the more entertaining additions. Secondary fire allows you to throw the crowbar as a projectile. It causes a considerable amount of damage and can be picked up again after it lands.
The Bubble Gun
The Gluon Gun is replaced by the Bubble Gun, which is probably the feature most people immediately associate with Bubble Mod.
Primary fire shoots harmless bubbles. They do not damage other players, but they can replenish your air while you are underwater.
Secondary fire charges for a few seconds before releasing a healing pulse which restores health to you and nearby players.
If you are carrying the Extra Armour Rune, the pulse restores armour instead. The ability also has a cooldown before it can be used again.
It gives the weapon a completely different purpose from the original Gluon Gun and introduces a small support element into deathmatch.
The Hornet Gun
The Hornet Gun is probably the most heavily modified weapon in Bubble Mod. Rather than simply firing normal hornets, it becomes a multi mode weapon with several different attacks.
Secondary fire cycles through the available modes and primary fire uses whichever one is currently selected.
Squid Spit
Fires acid projectiles similar to the attack used by the Bullsquid.
Zap Gun
Fires a direct electrical attack capable of causing heavy damage to a single target.
Multizapper
Fires an electrical attack which can fork and bounce between targets. Each individual hit does less damage, but it can become particularly nasty when several players are close together.
Freeze Ray
Freezes another player for several seconds. A frozen player cannot take normal weapon damage during this period, although environmental hazards can still cause problems for them.
Snark Launcher
Launches Snarks at high speed, giving them considerably more range than simply throwing one by hand.
The Rune System
Runes are another major part of Bubble Mod. They appear around the map and temporarily give the player carrying them a particular advantage.
Players carrying a rune glow in the colour associated with it, so everyone else can normally tell that they have something special.
The number of runes, how long they last and how quickly they return can all be controlled by the server.
Super Crowbar Rune
The crowbar becomes extremely powerful. Normal hits can kill another player instantly and secondary fire allows you to throw an unlimited supply of flying crowbars for the duration of the rune.
The effect normally lasts for around 30 seconds.
Mega Grenade Rune
Hand grenades become considerably more powerful, making them especially dangerous in enclosed areas. The effect normally lasts for around 30 seconds.
Super Magnum Rune
The .357 receives a substantial increase in damage and becomes an extremely powerful precision weapon for around 30 seconds.
Extra Health Rune
Health gained from medkits and HEV stations is doubled while the rune is active, making health pickups around the map much more valuable.
The effect normally lasts for around 30 seconds.
Extra Armour Rune
Armour gained from batteries and chargers is doubled. It also changes the Bubble Gun healing pulse so that it restores armour instead of health.
The effect normally lasts for around 30 seconds.
Super Shotgun Rune
The shotgun fires much more quickly and reloads faster, making it particularly dangerous at close range.
The effect normally lasts for around 30 seconds.
Random Runes
The server can also be configured to spawn random runes. Server operators can control which rune types are available, how many can exist and how long they remain active.
Map Specific Configuration
Bubble Mod supports configuration files which can be loaded for individual maps. This allows a server owner to change the way a particular map plays without changing the main server configuration for everything else.
Map configurations can be used to create or remove entities, replace weapons and ammunition, change gravity, adjust frag limits, add Long Jump Modules, alter rune behaviour and change other CVAR values.
This makes it possible to fix awkward maps, change weapon placement or simply make a particular map behave differently when Bubble Mod is running.
Server and Match Features
Bubble Mod also includes quite a few features which would normally require separate server plugins.
- Spectator mode with free roaming and chase cameras
- Player identification showing health and armour
- Damage information and kill logging
- Multi kill announcements
- Rock the Vote map voting
- Automatic kick and ban controls
- Spam protection
- Llama mode for troublesome players
- Administrator broadcasts and private messages
- VOX speech support
All of these features are built directly into the server side mod rather than requiring players to install anything themselves.
A Different Style of Half-Life Deathmatch
Bubble Mod does not completely change what Half-Life deathmatch is. The movement, maps and weapons are still immediately familiar, but the changes to weapon balance, runes and alternate attacks give matches their own character.
There is plenty of silliness in it too. Throwing crowbars, firing Snarks across a room and shooting completely harmless bubbles from the Egon are exactly the sort of things that give Bubble Mod its personality.
It is very much a product of the old Half-Life community and that is one of the main reasons I wanted to keep the original version available here alongside the source code.
Summary
- Original server side Half-Life deathmatch modification
- Players do not need to download anything to join a Bubble Mod server
- Includes substantial changes to several Half-Life weapons
- Replaces the Gluon Gun with the Bubble Gun
- Turns the Hornet Gun into a multi mode weapon
- Includes several temporary power runes
- Includes spawn protection and Type Protection
- Supports map specific configuration and entity changes
- Includes voting, administration and match management features
- Bubble Mod v2.2.3b is preserved here with its source code
Gallery
