If you’re a fan of the popular game Half-Life: Blue Shift, you may be looking for ways to enhance your gaming experience. Look no further! This guide offers a list of vanilla+ add-ons and fixes that can improve your gameplay. Keep reading to discover how you can make the most out of Half-Life: Blue Shift.
Introduction
This is yet another compilation of add-ons that fix up and improve the game in small but meaningful ways, this time for Half-Life: Blue Shift. Blue Shift has a lot of little problems, so this one’s a bit longer.
Links and credits are included!
I’ve tested all add-ons myself and ensured that they work together. If an add-on doesn’t work with another add-on, it will be made clear on the list.
All add-ons were sourced from either ModDB or GameBanana.
By no means am I trying to take credit for these modders’ work. I’m simply attempting to put their work more out there so that others can enjoy it too 🙂
No MMod compatibility indicator this time, since MMod does not support Blue Shift (yet!)
If you don’t know how to install add-ons, there’s a section in my Half-Life guide attempting to explain the process. Just know that instead of “valve_addon”, Blue Shift add-ons should be installed to a seperate “bshift_addon” folder.
An Important Disclaimer
When loading into a level, the game will get extremely choppy for me. Restarting the game (often multiple times) is the one way I know how to fix it. There’s a chance you will experience this too. If anyone does get this problem, and figures out a permanent fix, please let me know.
Start-up and Main Menu
[gamebanana.com]
Re-implements both the Sierra startup MOV and Gearbox startup MOV, as well as bringing the Valve MOV over to Blue Shift. All of which were present in the original release of the game.
Note: You need to install the contents of this add-on into the bshift folder, not your bshift_addon folder, otherwise the video will not play.
[gamebanana.com]
Restores the original menu style almost exactly, with the exception of the animated background, which can’t be replicated.
Low Definition Models
Low definition versions of the coatless scientists. There is also a downloadable low definition Rosenberg, which I recommend as well.
(Image from the ModDB page.)
Fixes the low definition civilian Barney model. The original is a little weird looking.
[gamebanana.com]
Swaps the textured mouths of the vanilla scientists with the original plain mouths from Half-Life.
Note: This mod conflicts with the other two low definition add-ons above.
[gamebanana.com]
Gives Harold a custom vanilla-styled head, like Rosenberg.
[gamebanana.com]
Gives Simmons a custom vanilla-styled head, like Rosenberg.
[gamebanana.com]
Adds LD versions of the Black Mesa advertisements, which originally had HD models in them, even with HD models disabled.
[gamebanana.com]
Adds low definition versions of the helmet and vest world models. Also includes new HUD decals for armor, but I prefer New HUD for Blue Shift (seen in the “Extras” section.)
[gamebanana.com]
Fixes
(See GameBanana page for preview.)
[gamebanana.com]
Subtly updates the H.E.C.U. models, fixing the numerous issues present. Their models were made early in Half-Life’s development, and are therefore not to the same quality as other models.
Note: Will not work with add-ons that replace the H.E.C.U. grunt model (See “Consistency” section).
(See GameBanana page for preview.)
[gamebanana.com]
Fixes a broken animation with the H.E.C.U. where they walk up, and put one last bullet in whatever they’ve just killed (including Barney Calhoun.)
Note: Will not work with add-ons that replace the H.E.C.U. grunt model (See “Consistency with Expansion Packs” section). There is a download that lets you put the fix for the animation on custom models, as long as you are able to decompile and recompile models. But if you’re going to use custom models, it’s probably not worth the effort, since the animation is pretty rare to witness in normal gameplay.
(See GameBanana page for preview.)
[gamebanana.com]
Supposedly fixes the MP5 pick-up animation. I didn’t even know it was broken. Still, a fix is a fix.
Consistency
[gamebanana.com]
This mod is meant to fix the time of day that certain maps are set in, in order to align with the original Half-Life.
However, I only recommend extracting ba_tram1, ba_tram2, and ba_canal2, since these maps definitely should take place in the morning. Bloxed also made Captive Freight set in the morning, which I disagree with.
Focal Point is parallel to On a Rail (Half-Life) and Rift (Half-Life: Decay) chronologically. Rift and On a Rail are both set at night, meaning if Captive Freight (which is right before Focal Point) was in the morning, it would be an incredibly short afternoon between it and Focal Point.
Replaces the vanilla H.E.C.U. models with the Opposing Force models.
Note: You can not install this if you have the H.E.C.U. Grunt Victory Dance Fix or UV / Shape Fixes add-ons installed!
[gamebanana.com]
Goes with the add-on above it. Replaces the vanilla H.E.C.U. voices with the Opposing Force voices.
[gamebanana.com]
Makes Gina’s H.E.V. suit beige like how it is in Decay.
Consistency with Half-Life 2
(See GameBanana page for demonstration.)
[gamebanana.com]
Adds the sprinting system and H.E.V. suit zoom function from Half-Life 2 to Half-Life. It also works with the expansion packs!
Note: For this to work, put game.cfg in “valve”. Yes, valve. It should carry over to other directories once you install it. If you already installed it to Half-Life 1, you’re good.
(See GameBanana page for demonstration.)
[gamebanana.com]
Replaces the Headcrab chomp sound with the bite sound from Half-Life 2.
(See GameBanana page for demonstration.)
[gamebanana.com]
Replaces zombie sounds with modified Half-Life 2 zombie sounds.
(See GameBanana page for demonstration.)
[gamebanana.com]
Replaces Barnacle sounds with their Half-Life 2 counter-parts.
(See GameBanana page for demonstration.)
[gamebanana.com]
Replaces Vortigaunt speech with the Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and Black Mesa sounds.
(Image from GameBanana page.) [gamebanana.com]
Removes the two side eyes from the Vortigaunts’ faces, which are not present in Half-Life 2.
Extra
(See GameBanana page for preview.)
[gamebanana.com]
Blue Shift doesn’t have its own soundtrack. It just borrows from Half-Life and Half-Life: Opposing Force. In 2012, Chris Jenson (Opposing Force composer) released Mishaps in the Reactor Core, an album of unused Opposing Force songs, new pieces, and Source game trailer music. This add-on takes those tracks and adapts them into a unique soundtrack for Blue Shift.
As a musician I really dig this add-on and highly recommend you download it.
(Image from the ModDB page.)
Remasters the HUD, giving it more distinction from vanilla Half-Life. Now there’s a custom font and a vest armor icon.
Conclusion
Shout-outs to Total Chaos the Source Modder, Aperture Mesa, Evy Houstuvk, BrussTrigger, LeonelC, Gulliblepikmin, VitorHunter, UGLIES, /TheWolf, CamKablam, amok-R, Dienor, Seiya Core, explorer1911, HL1 X, Bloxed, monster_urby, ChalkyMalky, SleepyNotDead, Tunnel, Ambient.impact, odinatra, and Dmitriy-Bars for making these great add-ons. Please go show them support on GameBanana and/or ModDB!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3340199777
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3340315744
And that wraps up our share on Half-Life: Blue Shift: Half-Life: Blue Shift – Fixes, Tweaks, and Improvements (Add-on List). If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by Not for Sale, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!