Counter-Strike's Dust2 is now in Alien: Isolation, thanks to new mod tools
Watch this tiny example of what's now possible
A big new update to unofficial mod tools for Alien: Isolation has greatly expanded the range of mods people can make. Modders can now add custom models, materials, textures, and more to Creative Assembly's horror shooter. To quickly demonstrate the new capabilities, the toolmaker has whipped up a small example: importing classic Counter-Strike map de_dust2 into Isolation. You can see the xenomorph stalking Dust2's sandy corridors in a fun little video below. I imagine modders are already planning bigger, more complex, and less silly uses for these new capababilities.
This is made possible by OpenCAGE, a fan-made suite of mod tools which let folks fiddle with Alien: Isolation's guts in many ways. Chief among the features of the new update is the ability to import new models, textures, and animations & skeletons, rather than just reworking things already in the game. I'm excited to see the new mods people might make over the months and years to come.
The toolmaker, Matt Filer says he whipped up that Dust2 "in around 15 minutes" so it's certainly not representative of the full possibilities. This is just a fun little thing to grab attention. It is a fun little thing, and it did grab my attention. I'm never comfortable in the long sightlines of Bombsite A, and its scant cover offers little relief when a psychosexual horror stalks the crates. A few Working Joes on patrol would certainly help clear out AFK players too.
The new OpenCAGE update launched today, April 26th, in celebration of the marketing event known as Alien Day. That's a reference to LV-426, the moon where things went quite poorly in Alien and Aliens. Here in the UK, of course, we celebrate Alien Day on the 42nd of June.
An Alien Day Sale on Steam offers an 80% discount on Isolation, as well as discounts on Aliens games. Do not be tempted by Colonial Marines for £5. That's at least £4 too much to pay for rubbernecking at that disaster.
This further supports my belief that Dust2 "is one of the fundamental shapes of video games." As I said when de_dust2 competed against romance in our ongoing mission to decide the single best thing in video games, "Not every game chooses to use a de_dust2, but if it has a level editor, fans will soon remedy that as an act of devotion." You voted for romance over Dust2, mind, you loved-up fools.