The Advisor Level Design Document

The Advisor Half-Life 2 Single Player Level
The Advisor
Half-Life 2 Single Player Level
Designer: Sky Silcox
Page 1 of 69 Level Design Document

Table of Contents
Revision Notes...........................................................................................................3
Quick Summary.........................................................................................................4
Gameplay Overview....................................................................................................4
Objective Summary............................................................................................4
Technical Overview.....................................................................................................5
Campaign.........................................................................................................5
Mission Location.................................................................................................5
Mission Difficulty................................................................................................5
Mission Metrics..................................................................................................5
Technical Details........................................................................................................5
Level Atmosphere/Mood......................................................................................5
Story................................................................................................................6
Major Areas/Visual Themes.................................................................................8
Area 1: Foyer...............................................................................................8
Area 2: Axis...............................................................................................14
Area 3: The Cell.........................................................................................18
Area 4: Control...........................................................................................22
Area 5: Advisor Chamber.............................................................................27
Map Objectives................................................................................................36
Challenge Highlights.........................................................................................36
Water Cooler Moments......................................................................................36
Actors.............................................................................................................37
Player..........................................................................................................37
Key Actors....................................................................................................37
Combine Soldiers (Submachine Gun)............................................................37
Combine Soldiers (Shotgun).........................................................................37
Floor Turrets..............................................................................................37
Rebels (Inside)...........................................................................................38
Supporting Actors..........................................................................................38
Rebel (Outside)..........................................................................................38
Key Assets......................................................................................................38
User Interface..................................................................................................39
Gameplay Details.....................................................................................................40
Gameplay Mechanics........................................................................................40
Level Progression Chart.....................................................................................41
Map(s)............................................................................................................42
Key..............................................................................................................42
Sketch(s).....................................................................................................43
Top Views..................................................................................................43
Perspective View.........................................................................................50
Walkthrough/Detailed Map Description................................................................51
Area 1: Ventilation Access..............................................................................51
Area 2: Holding Cells.....................................................................................55
Area 3: Stairwell...........................................................................................58
Area 4: Security............................................................................................61
Area 5: Teleportation Chamber.......................................................................64
Area 6: Exploding Facility...............................................................................67
Sky Silcox Page 2 of 69 Level Design Document

Revision Notes
11/06/09 –Initial version of the document

Quick Summary
In Re-Search and Destroy, Gordon Freeman breaks into a hidden Combine research facility
to discover the fate of Combine rebels. After finding the captive rebels, they inform
Freeman that this facility contains valuable research for teleportation technology for the
Combine. The rebels ask Gordon to help them escape and in turn will blow up the
teleporter. After destroying the teleporter, Gordon must escape the facility before the rest
of the facility explodes. This is a single player, untimed mission.
Gameplay Overview
Re-Search and Destroy focuses on luring the player through the level by using story and
scripted events. There are plenty of opportunities for combat in most areas of the level, but
the player’s main elements motivating the player are the rebel efforts and the exploding
facility. The player completes four objectives throughout the level, the first three of which
involve helping the rebels (his allies) in some fashion.
Gameplay changes slightly at each objective. Getting to the first objective requires the
player to be resourceful, as he only has 18 shots with the pistol and a crowbar. Making use
of the surrounding environment, such as explosive barrels and ammo crates, the player is
able to overcome the Combine and turret resistance without expending too much ammo.
After completing the first objective, the player must then move up a stairwell, creating
gunfights with verticality. Using the ammo he found from crates and off Combine, the
player takes shots at the Combine when possible. The Combine likes to take cover and
shoot the player whenever he starts moving up a flight of stairs.
After completing the second objective, the player now has a squad of two rebels following
him and he must go back up the stairwell. The rebels do not have much fire power, but
they do draw fire away from the player enough so he has easy access to move up to the
Combine for close quarters combat with the shotgun.
After completing the third objective, the player must exit the facility with lots of fire and
explosions going off around him. The player feels a great sense of urgency in the hostile
environment. He quickly moves through a slightly different path leading to where the
second objective was located. After becoming familiar with his surroundings, the player
remembers how to get out and exits the facility.
Objective Summary
• Find the rebels inside the facility

• Deactivate force fields around rebel cells
o Rebels are not in danger of being killed by Combine during the mission
• Blow up the teleporter
• Find an exit
o Player dies if he reaches 0 health

Technical Overview
Campaign
• Name: The Advisor

• Level Position: Only level in the campaign
o After Eli dies, Gordon leaves White Forest. On his way via helicopter to the
Borealis, the restored helicopter has mechanical difficulties. The pilot
mentions that there is a hidden research facility that holds a secret that not
even Magnison should now of but they probably have the parts and the staff
that would make repairs quick and painless. Stopping at the facility, no sign
of the researches is found. As the pilot begins troubleshooting the helicopter,
Gordon proceeds inside to ask for help. Inside, a calamity awaits him.
Mission Location
• Theme: retrofitted plant interior as research facility

• Mood: Vertigo
• Setting: An old water way station in White Forest fitted for resistance research
• Time: Afternoon
• Season: Morning
• Weather: Clear skies
Mission Difficulty
The difficulty uses a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being easiest and 5 being hardest.
• Start: 1
• Middle: 2
• End: 1
Mission Metrics
• Play Time: ~5 minutes

• New Characters: None
• Visual Theme: Black Mesa East
• Physical Dimensions: 1024L x 1024W x 768H
Technical Details
Level Atmosphere/Mood
The level consists of a hastily set up, make shift science lab in an old utilities tunnel. The
concrete and tile lined walls support the arched overhead ceiling. The center of the facility is
a now refitted holding area with a large, open, dome like, circular interior space, much like
the interior of a large missile silo. An injured Advisor, now held captive sits in the center,
manipulating the environment within a 512 unit radius with its telekinetic powers, making

physics objects float in the air and turning the atmosphere to deadly, sub-zero
temperatures within its now limited radius of effect.
The space is generally well-kept but contains the usual debris of a used but cared-for
workplace. Crates, boxes, tools, and various bits of debris float in the air. A thin volume of
embers (snow) floats in the air, moving ever upward due to the strange gravity effects. The
bodies of the researchers slump here and there. The 512 radius around the Advisor has a
thin sheet of ice on the ground due to the freezing temperatures. Strange mists float as the
super-cooled air hits the warm air of the tunnels about the silo adding to the surreal
appearance of the room.
The power ebbs at high and low intervals, lights flashing and the occasional spark flashing.
Bottom-lit handrails and props convey the sense of the unnatural where sources permit.
Lighting emits a cool, almost blue appearance at the center of the facility and a warmer,
more natural quality further away from the center where the environment maintains its
normal state.
Story
• Intro
o 1 month before the events at White Forest, the rebellion fights and wins a
small battle north of White Forest. With their victory they received the
severely injured body of an Advisor, a small Combine shield scanner that still
has functionality, and a partly functioning Combine force field generator.
o Dr. Wong and Professor To set up a small facility close to White Forest rocket
launch site in an old underground pipe works, keeping their operation secret
from the egotistical and controlling Magneson.
o Research progresses and utilizing the Combine shield generator procured in
the battle, the research team creates a field which blocks the injured
Advisor’s weakened telekinetic powers. Rigging up the small Combine robot,
named, Eva, with remote controls, they probe and interact with the Advisor at
close range, a dangerous feat if done in person.
o The Advisor plays along as its powers return, eventually gaining enough
power to pierce the shield with its mind, slowing infecting Professor To’s
thoughts, driving him mad, eventually to the point of bringing down the
shield power enough to not set off the alarm but allowing the Advisor’s power
to effect the other researchers.
o Lab assistants Kynho, Skyler, Jimmy, and Eva (who the robot is named after)
all spiral into a zombie-like state of consciousness along with Dr. Wong and
Professor To. They kill and eat the repairman, Silcox, as he seemed to be the
only one not affected due to his simple-mindedness.
o For two weeks the facility sits silent, the residents wandering in a half-
conscious state about the halls. Professor To drifts in and out of a conscious
state, sometimes understanding what is happening, sometimes not.
o At the beginning of the level Alyx and Gordon part ways after Eli’s death,
Gordon on his way to the Borealis along with the pilot of the helicopter that
they travel in.
o Shortly after taking off, they run into mechanical problems with the old
helicopter and the pilot suggests that they land at the nearby research facility
o The pilot lands, begins tinkering on the helicopter and Gordon heads inside
seeking a part for the helicopter and adventure as usual. After entering the

door, Professor To locks it behind him via the security system console, leaving
Gordon no way out but through the small facility.
• In-Game
o As Gordon makes his way through the facility, he battles through several
rooms with Combine soldiers. The facility itself looks more like a run down
residential building at first glance. However, as Gordon moves along, he sees
hastily assembled science equipment and hears the humming of electric
currents.
o As Gordon makes his way through the facility, he comes upon an opening
leading into a large, silo-like chamber. In the center sits and advisor. There
seems to be a strange energy about the space. Crates, boxes, and tools float
in midair, what looks like soot or snow cascades upward.
o As Gordon moves forward he sees a thin energy barrier that emits from the
Advisor. Crossing this barrier causes strange hallucinations and severe suit
damage due to the freezing cold of the room. Strange mists float.
o Deterred from moving into the round room, Gordon finds a small, damaged
robot, sparking and emitting sounds on the floor in an alcove to his right.
o Gordon puts the robot on its charger and moves to a control room.
o Overlooking the Advisor chamber, Gordon jacks in and remote-pilots the
small robot into the dangerous Advisor chamber.
o After interfacing with a control panel, the remote-piloted robot opens a small
door which contains a yellow bypass fuse. Pushing this fuse in the low gravity
environment, the robot paces it its proper slot.
o Doing this two more times enables the reactor to send its energy to the shield
generator.
o Alerted to the hostile intent of the robot, the Advisor posses nearby rollermine
to attack.
o
o Eventually, Gordon finds holding cells containing the rebels. Startled but
slightly relieved, they quickly tell Gordon that they are being held as research
subjects for the Combine’s teleport experiments. A couple of the rebels were
already used for unsuccessful experiments and frankly, the surviving rebels
do not want to share the same fate.
o The rebels tell Gordon that the Combine is getting closer to perfecting their
teleportation technology. As a result, the rebels need to destroy the
teleporter before leaving exiting the facility in order to cripple the Combine’s
progress. If Gordon lets them out, the rebels will head over to the
teleportation area and blow up the teleporter.
o Gordon eventually reaches a console to disable the force fields, setting the
rebels free. The rebels make contact with the rebel outside over a
communicator updating him on the situation. They then destroy the
teleporter, but the explosion causes them to die and the surrounding
equipment to start exploding.
o With the facility in flames, Gordon makes his way quickly through the facility
desperately trying to find an exit.
• Extro
o Gordon leaves the facility just as it blows up, getting outside in the nick of
time.

Major Areas/Visual Themes

Area 1: Foyer
• Text Description
o Standing in the foyer of the small facility, the player sees old tiled floors
below her. Power cords and various bits of Combine technology appear to be
grafted hastily, ungraciously, and imperfectly to the structure where needed.
This work clearly lacks the hint of Combine hands. Behind her, the player sees
a heavy Combine door, its control panel glowing with the bright red glow
meaning, “locked.” The curved walls around the player wear a layer of
strange graffiti here and there in the form of bizarre cartoon characters. “The
Voice of the To,” greets the player in a half-conscious banter of random
words, declaring (indirectly) that the way out be foreword. The voice that
pierces the silence emits from a speaker on the arched ceiling. A hall light
mounted close to the ceiling flickers nervously in the calm, cool corridor,
illuminating the tiled, arched ceiling in flashes.
o Though cool, the corridor radiates slightly warm, calming light, mirroring the
silence of the space. No foul play seems apparent. In the distance, the player
hears the sound of water dripping. Dampness permeates the simple but well
organized space.

• Visual References
Figure 1: Architecture, textures (tiles), lighting and environment (hallway)

Figure 2: Decal (graffiti) and surface textures (concrete)

Figure 3: Architecture, and lighting

Figure 4: Environment, Architecture, and texture

Figure 5: Architecture, lighting, and environment

Area 2: Axis
o Coming into the next room, a ring shaped corridor that circles around the
central core room, it acts as a connecting hallway for several rooms within the
small facility. Blast doors have now sealed off a small space of the ring that
the player now stands into a shape best described as a half torus shape. To
the left., the player sees a curving wall ending in a blast door. To the right,
she sees the same. Forward, a blast door sits, sealing off entry. A small
control panel rests on a small pole next to it. A shaft carves its way upward
above the door, wires trailing into the darkness.
o Small tiles make up the floor, walls, and ceilings. Small, lose items lie about
in slight disarray. A shallow pool of water lies across the floor, submerging its
surface and deep enough that smaller items float. This room conveys disorder
more than the last. Small boxes, crates, tools, and various bits of debris line
the curving hallway. Though in disorder, shallow water submerging the tile
floor, and the bizarre graffiti on the walls, the player perceives no real
damage to the environment or structure.
o The slightly cooler lighting in this area conveys the chill of the new space, its
colder here and the air whizzes with a muffled energy hum. Condensation
drips from the ceilings in a dripping sound. Beyond this: silence.

Figure 6: Architecture, decorations, textures (ceiling) and lighting

Figure 7: Architecture, lighting (foyer), environment, and props (wires)

Figure 8: Lighting, decals, and environment
Figure 9: Props (blast door)

Figure 10: Architecture (inner curve of wall)
Area 3: The Cell

o The stairwell of this facility is poorly lit and mostly bare of any decorative
elements. The stairs are made of rusty metal and the floors are dirty
concrete. The walls are brick without plaster on them. The staircase goes up
two floors from where the lobby is. Locked doors spaced evenly hint that this
complex used to be an apartment complex.
o On the way toward the control room, the player looks into a small room with
a slit for a door. Used as a small storage area, it now serves as a cell for
Professor To. Made up of the same tile floors and walls as the Axis area, the
builders raised the floor and covered it with concrete at a later date, keeping
its occupant dry. The bare room contains only To, an illuminated light bulb on
the ceiling, a small intercom setup, and a box of oil crayons and paint.
o The far wall supports one of To’s graffiti creations in mural format.

Figure 11: Overlay (mural) and models (art supplies)

Figure 12: Environment, Architecture, textures, and lighting

Figure 13: Door (cell door)

Area 4: Control
o This old monitoring system room for pipe works now serves as the monitoring
room for the scientists studying the Advisor. Above hangs one flickering
florescent light. The player’s right sits the frame of broken window that they
cleared away and fitted with an unbreakable combine glass procured from the
battle. Below this sits a retrofitted control panel of Combine make that now
houses the monitor and control mechanism for controlling EVA.
o The worn, paint-coated concrete walls look bare and utilitarian. Various
clipboards and debris sit within the small space. A large blood smear
decorates the austere paint of the wall. Next it, a small drawing of various
shapes appears, similar to the other graffiti in the hall and cell.
o Small bits of paper and debris lie on the barren concrete floor scattered about
two topped office chairs.

Figure 14: Lighting, models, and environment

Figure 15: Ceiling Texure

Figure 16: Floor Texture

Figure 17: Architecture, textures, environment, and lighting

Figure 18: Intercom equipment
Area 5: Advisor Chamber

o This chamber used to be a studio apartment, but now functions as the
primary research room in the complex for the Combine. The teleporter
illuminates the room with a light blue light and fills the room with a low

humming sound. Bad carpeting covers the floor and the walls’ plaster is
barely holding up.
o This large round, chamber once served as the pump room for the water flow.
With all of its equipment stripped and replaced by bits of Combine equipment
where needed, it resembles a large patchwork of wires, strange equipment,
and crisscrossing wiring. As the player enters through the blast door that
leads from the initial room in the Axis area, mists and fog drift about the
strange energy field that encircles the room. Boxes, crates, clipboards, chairs,
and all manner of debris float in the air with the mists in a slow spiral around
the Advisor caged in the center of the room.
o The ice-covered concrete of the floor, only visible in spots, connects to the tile
and concrete walls by a small, curved transition. The silo-shaped room
continues upward from the walls into a mist of wires and pipes draping in a
disorganized cluster from the nothingness above.
o A small console only accessible to the small robot, EVA, hangs from the far
wall. To the left of the console rests a safe with a retractable shield that
houses a bypass fuse. The right wall and wall behind the player are the same.
Figure 19: Architecture, lighting, and environment

Figure 20: Architecture, models, and environment

Figure 21: Architecture (ceiling) and textures

Figure 22:Architecture

Figure 23: Textures

Figure 24: Model (security camera)

Figure 25: Model (Advisor sheild base)

Figure 26: Model (bypass fuse dispensor)

Map Objectives
• Primary
o Retrieve the proper helicopter part from the facility
o Restore power to the shield generator
o Enable the shield
o Exit the facility
• Secondary
o Discover the fate of the research team
• Hidden
o None
• Bonus
o None
Challenge Highlights
• Combat
o None
• Conversation
o Professor To’s taunts boom across the intercom system as Gordon enters the
facility.
 Starts the second objective
o Professor To rambles on to himself from the cell
• Stealth
o None
• Puzzles
o The player sets EVA on her recharger at the beginning of the level
o Player discovers that she must pilot EVA into the Advisor chamber
o EVA (piloted by the player) hacks 3 panels in the Advisor chamber in order to
open 3 cases with bypass fuses in them
o The player must insert the proper fuse into each of the fuse chambers,
restoring power to the shields
o The player restores power in the control room, encasing the Advisor in the
shield once more
• Boss Battles
o None
Water Cooler Moments
• Area 1: Ventilation Access

o Shooting an explosive barrel next to ignorant Combine forces, killing them
instantly and effectively
• Area 5: Teleportation Chamber
o Blowing up the teleporter with the rebels dying in the process
• Areas 2-4 (post teleporter explosion)
o Exiting the facility with fire and explosions all around

Actors
Player
• Model(s)
o None
• Starting Inventory
o Crowbar
o Suit
o Pistol (18 rounds)
• Start Location
o Outside the facility
• Motives/Objectives
o Discover the fate of the rebels in the facility
o Blow up the teleporter to severely cripple the Combine research
Key Actors
Combine Soldiers (Submachine Gun)
• Model(s)
o Combine, Regular Soldier
• Inventory
o Submachine Gun
o Kill the player
• Starting Location
o Ventilation Access
o Holding Cells
o Stairwell
o Security
o Teleportation Chamber
Combine Soldiers (Shotgun)
• Model(s)
o Combine, Regular Soldier
• Inventory
o Shotgun
o Kill the player
o Holding Cells
o Stairwell
o Security
Floor Turrets

• Model(s)
o Turret, floor
• Inventory
o None
o Kill the player
o Holding Cells
o Stairwell
Rebels (Inside)
• Model(s)
o Male citizen
o Female citizen
• Inventory
o Pistol
o Inform Freeman of the facility’s
use
o Fight alongside Freeman to get
to the teleportation chamber in
order to blow up the teleporter
o Holding Cells
Supporting Actors
Rebel (Outside)
• Model(s)
o Male citizen
• Inventory
o None
o Inform Freeman of the rebels’ mission their disappearance
o Ventilation Access
Key Assets
• Weapons/Ammo
o Submachine Gun
 Dropped off Combine
o Submachine Gun Ammo
 Found in ammo crates

o Shotgun
o Shotgun Ammo
o Pistol
 Player begins play with pistol
o Pistol Ammo
 Found in ammo crates
o Crowbar
 Player begins play with crowbar
• Items
o Health packs
o Shield packs
• Interactive Elements
o Console in Security
 Player uses to deactivate force fields
o Console in Teleportation Chamber
 Used by rebels to blow up the teleporter
• Physics Objects
o Explosive Barrels
o Ammo Crates
• Vehicles
o None
User Interface
• Pre-Game Information
o A group of rebels recently went into the Combine facility and have yet to
return
• In-Game Information
o Rebel in Ventilation Access (objective 1 given)
 Text on screen: “Doctor Freeman! Boy am I glad to see you! The
Combine have been cracking down lately in this section of the city and
we’ve been having a hell of a time fighting them off. The seem to be
using some new teleportation technology to quickly mobilize to where
they need to go. Rumor has it that this Combine facility here is a
teleportation research facility. We sent a group to go investigate this
facility, but that was three days ago. See if you can find a way in and
find out what happened to them. Oh yea, if there happens to be a
teleporter in there, see what you can do to take it offline.”
o Rebels in Holding Cells (objective 1 completed)
 Text on screen: “What’s going on?! What’s all th… my God! Gordon
Freeman! It really is you! We part of the resistance sent to check out
this facility. We could use your help in letting us out if you can find a
way. Oh yea, turns out we found some interesting stuff about this
facility. Apparently this place houses research for the Combine,
specifically for teleportation research. There’s a teleporter on the
fourth floor that we want to destroy, but we can’t do it from here. See
if you can get us out and we’ll fight our way upstairs to destroy it.
There’s got to be a security station somewhere in the building.”

 “Awesome timing. Now let’s head up to the teleporter and open up a

can of whoop ass.”
o Rebels in Teleportation Chamber (objective 3 completed)
 “Excellent! All right, give me just a few seconds. All right, this thing
should blow up in…AHHH!”
• Post Game Information
o Debriefing
 None
o Stats
 None
• HUD Elements
o Normal Elements Used
 Health
 Shield
 Ammo
 Text
o Special Elements Required
 None
Gameplay Details
Gameplay Mechanics
• Prerequisite Skills
o Guns / Aiming
 Pistol
 Submachine gun
 Shotgun
o Jumping
o Strafing
o Running
• Skills Learned
o No new skills learned

Level Progression Chart

Time (min) 0 1 2 3
Terrain/Objective Enter Facility Meet Rebels Up Stairs Use Security Console
Opponents SMG Combine Turrets, Mixed Combine SMG Combine Mixed Combine
Challenges Defeat encounters with little ammo Verticality
Wow Moments Surprising combine with explosive barrel
New Skills/Weapons SMG Shotgun
Time (min) 4 5
Terrain/Objective Down Stairs Meet Rebels Up Stairs
Opponents None None Turret, Shotgun Combine
Challenges Shotgun enemy, tight space
Wow Moments
Time (min) 6 7 8
Terrain/Objective Disable Teleporter Exit Facility
Opponents Turrets, Mixed Combine None None Mixed Combine
Challenges Many opponents, 1 room
Wow Moments Teleporter blows up Explosions and fire push player forward
Legend
1 square = 30 seconds
Ventilation Access
Holding Cells
Stairwell
Security
Teleportation Chamber
Exploding Facility
Challenge Highlight
Wow Moment
New Weapon/Skill

Map(s)
Key

Sketch(s)
Top Views
• Top view of the level with entity placements

• Top view showing critical path to first objective

• Top view showing critical path for the second objective

• Top view showing the critical for the third objective

• Top view showing the critical path for exiting the facility after the explosion

• Top view showing wow moments (before escaping the facility)

• Top view showing AI paths of two patrolling soldiers

Perspective View
• Perspective view showing the elevation for each section of the level

Walkthrough/Detailed Map Description

Area 1: Ventilation Access
• Gameplay
1) The player starts outside the facility, close to the locked door. When he
moves around the building, he meets with the rebel and knows his first
objective.
2) Looking around the edges of the courtyard area, the player finds ammo crates
with pistol ammo as well as a damaged ventilation grate near a spot lit
section of the outer wall. Breaking the grate reveals an access into a storage
area of the facility. The ventilation goes up slightly to near the ceiling of the
storage area.
3) Two Combine with submachine guns stand chatting, unaware of the player’s
presence. The player, if resourceful, shoots the explosive barrel next to them
to defeat the encounter with only two shots, and then he drops down safely to
the ground. Otherwise, the encounter is much tougher as the player must
face two Combine soldiers with a mere pistol.

4) After looking around the room, the player notices a shield pickup in the corner
of the room and access out of the room
• Dialog
o Rebel
 Text on screen: “Doctor Freeman! Boy am I glad to see you! The
Combine have been cracking down lately in this section of the city and
we’ve been having a hell of a time fighting them off. The seem to be
using some new teleportation technology to quickly mobilize to where
they need to go. Rumor has it that this Combine facility here is a
teleportation research facility. We sent a group to go investigate this
facility, but that was three days ago. See if you can find a way in and
find out what happened to them. Oh yea, if there happens to be a
teleporter in there, see what you can do to take it offline.”
Reference image showing surrounding environment, skybox concept, weather, time of day,
and lighting

Reference image showing surrounding environment, skybox concept, weather, time of day,
and lighting
Reference image showing ventilation access concept

Reference image for storage area concept, lighting, and textures

Area 2: Holding Cells
• Gameplay
1) The player makes his way out of the storage room and into a lobby area.
Immediately on his left are two turrets that open fire if the player is in their
sights. These turrets are particularly challenging due to the lack of physics
and exploding weapons, such as grenades or the gravity gun. The player
must use caution and time the turrets so when they turn away from him, he
move in to pick them up and throw them on the ground.
2) After disposing of the turrets, a SMG Combine rushes in from the other room
and into the lobby area. The player has the height advantage, so the combat
is fairly easy. This primarily functions as a hint of where the player needs to
go next: the room where the combine come from.

3) The main path leads the player down a set of stairs and into a room
containing holding cells. A shotgun Combine solider and a SMG Combine
soldier provide the challenge in this room. The shotgun solider is much closer
to the player than the SMG soldier, making him a more threatening foe.
4) Looking around the room, the player finds a health pack and an ammo crate.
He also notices rebels behind one of the holding cells. They tell him about the
facility, the teleporter, and the security console that will deactivate the force
fields.
• Dialog
 Text on screen describing who they are, background info on what the
teleporter and their plan to blow it up, and a request to get them out
of the cells so they can blow up the teleporter
 Text on screen thanking Freeman and telling him to lead them to the
Teleportation Chamber
Reference image for interior texturing, lighting, and wall deco for the lobby

Reference image for interior texturing, lighting, and wall deco for the lobby
Reference image for force fields and holding cell concept

Area 3: Stairwell
• Gameplay
1) The player enters the stairwell on the second floor. Immediately on his left is
a SMG Combine opening fire as the door opens. The SMG Combine runs
behind cover, trying to draw the player out from the safety of the door. The
player uses cover from the door to carefully take out the soldier in between
barrages of bullets.
2) The player makes his way to the third floor where the door to the Security
station sits open.

3) The player makes his way up to the third floor and into the Security room.
The player can get to the fourth floor, but turrets and Combine slow his
progress and a locked door prevents him from going into the teleportation
chamber.
• Dialog
o None
Reference image for stairwell concept, lighting, and textures

Reference image for walls in the stairwell area, textures, lighting, and pipes

Area 4: Security
• Gameplay
1) As the player enters the room, he notices Combine on his left near a security
console. The Combine in the room is a mix of shotgun and SMG. This
encounter is similar to the Holding Cell area, except the shotgun Combine
aggressively runs toward the door shooting and the SMG Combine takes
cover.
2) The player disables the force fields by using the console. A monitor shows
the rebels behind the force field until the player turns it off. Once the player
disables the force fields, he moves back to the holding cells to meet with the
rebels.
3) When the player goes back into the lobby area, 2 shotgun Combine and a
SMG combine wait for him on the lower level.
• Dialog
o None

Reference image showing a video display and lighting
Reference image for security console concept

Reference image showing several security monitors, computer equipment, texturing, and
lighting

Area 5: Teleportation Chamber
• Gameplay
1) When the player reaches the first room of the fourth floor, he notices two
turrets and a mix of SMG and shotgun Combine guarding the locked door (if
he has not already seen them from exploring the facility before releasing the
rebels). If he has not yet freed the rebels, he cannot pass through the door.
If he has the rebels with him, they will hack open the door allowing access to
the teleporter.
2) Looking around the room, the player can find a health pack and ammo for his
SMG in a crate.

3) Proceeding into the teleporter room, three shotgun Combine soldiers wait
near the door, creating the hardest encounter in the level. A SMG Combine
soldier stands near the back of the room, acting as support fire for the
Combine in front.
4) After clearing the room of Combine, the rebels move towards the teleporter
console and begin inputting the self destruct code. Once inputted, the
teleporter suddenly explodes catching the rebels off guard. The rebels die
from the sudden blast and the wall collapses near the locked door.
• Dialog
o Rebels in Teleportation Chamber (objective 3 completed)
 Text on screen exclaiming that they finally made it and to wait just a
few seconds while they input a self destruct code into the console
Reference image for the teleportation chamber, deco models and wires, particles, textures,
and lighting

Reference image for the teleportation chamber, deco models and wires, the teleporter
Reference image for deco models, textures, and lighting

Area 6: Exploding Facility
• Gameplay
1) Looking around the teleportation chamber, the player finds a vent leading to
the previously inaccessible room in Security. The screen shakes violently with
sounds of explosions coming from nearby as he navigates through the vents
and into Security.
2) Opening the door out of Security and to the stairwell reveals smoke, fire, and
debris. Debris blocks his path up to the fourth floor, so his only option is to
make his way down to the lobby.
3) Once in the lobby, the player notices the front door to the facility blown off
the hinges. He rushes around the debris of the lobby, down the stairs, and
out the exit.
• Dialog
o None

Reference image showing lighting, smoke, hazardous environment, and a Combine-looking

fireman

Reference image showing collapsed building sections and debris
Reference image showing lighting and damaged architecture

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The Advisor Half-Life 2 Single Player Level

Designer: Sky Silcox

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• Find the rebels inside the facility

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• Name: The Advisor

• Theme: retrofitted plant interior as research facility

• Play Time: ~5 minutes

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Major Areas/Visual Themes

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Figure 1: Architecture, textures (tiles), lighting and environment (hallway)

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Figure 2: Decal (graffiti) and surface textures (concrete)

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Figure 3: Architecture, and lighting

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Figure 4: Environment, Architecture, and texture

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Figure 5: Architecture, lighting, and environment

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Figure 6: Architecture, decorations, textures (ceiling) and lighting

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Figure 7: Architecture, lighting (foyer), environment, and props (wires)

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Figure 8: Lighting, decals, and environment

Figure 9: Props (blast door)

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Figure 10: Architecture (inner curve of wall)

Area 3: The Cell

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Figure 11: Overlay (mural) and models (art supplies)

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Figure 12: Environment, Architecture, textures, and lighting

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Figure 13: Door (cell door)

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Figure 14: Lighting, models, and environment

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Figure 15: Ceiling Texure

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Figure 16: Floor Texture

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Figure 17: Architecture, textures, environment, and lighting

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Figure 18: Intercom equipment

Area 5: Advisor Chamber

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Figure 19: Architecture, lighting, and environment

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Figure 20: Architecture, models, and environment

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Figure 21: Architecture (ceiling) and textures

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Figure 23: Textures

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Figure 24: Model (security camera)