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About this mod
This mod makes Alien Isolation more realistic and horror-based. Changes include an update to the alien's behavior that I have perfected, as well as weapon changes and a slightly shorter hack tool time limit. You have the option of a variant that removes the loud sound of his footsteps but keeps all other growls and screams, or to keep the vanilla.
- Permissions and credits
I have played Alien Isolation for a long time, and have "fixed" some of the core issues/complaints with the game to improve the experience. See the bottom for a TLDR list of changes, as well as notes on the difficulty settings.
The biggest change in this mod is to the alien's behavior. The vanilla game is way too unrealistic and frustrating- the alien is basically tethered to you on a leash the entire game once you first encounter him. You end up dying nonstop, and the horror and fear element is removed and replaced with frustration. An amazing mod, "unpredictable alien," was created to counter this problem, but it was created a long time ago before all the parameters of the alien's behavior were understood. The result was an alien that you often NEVER encountered, as well as behavior that didn't make sense.
Basically, the alien has three different "modes" that he can be in at any moment:
1) The Backstage- This is when the alien is above you in the ceiling. He is not an active threat at this time, but if you hear movement in the vents, he is close and may hear you if alerted through sound, and may drop down.
2) The Frontstage- This is when the alien has dropped from the vents and is walking around Sevastopol. He may not be "hunting" for you, or anyone, for that matter, but he is active and will attack people he runs into.
3) The Stalk- This is when the alien has been alerted to a presence and is actively "Stalking" for a sound or target he has been alerted to. This is when the alien is most dangerous.
The issue with the unpredictable alien mod is that it is coded in ways that don't always make sense. For instance, it was often programmed in a way where the alien would be "leashed" within a tighter radius to you while in the frontstage rather than when he was stalking you. I have remedied these issues and playtested THOROUGHLY. I believe the alien's behavior is now not only randomized in a way to where it doesn't feel like he is stalking you the entire game, but is also still incredibly tense, and challenging.
Another alien behavior that I have modded is the way he responds to the player hiding in vents. In the vanilla game, especially on medium difficulty, the Alien rarely enters the vents to attack the player. Now, the alien will enter the vents to attack the player much more often if they loiter, keeping you on your toes.
I have also shortened the time allowed to crack codes via the hack-tool. The times have been shortened just slightly (around a second), to provide a bit of a challenge. In the vanilla game, the times are so forgiving that the mini-games are more of an annoyance than a challenge. Another change is in the weapons. Now, the shotgun CAN make the alien retreat. Rather than stunning the alien, shooting him twice will now make him flee to the vents. Note that because he is no longer stunned from getting shot, you must squeeze off two shots quickly before he gets to you, which is VERY difficult, and you should only attempt it as a last resort- keeping balance. I have also modded the revolver in the same manner- but you must get 5 or 6 shots off, and over time he becomes immune to it totally. It is basically impossible to get 5 or 6 shots into him before he catches you, but I wanted to include this option to give the player a chance, however slight it may be.
I have slightly altered lights to make them glow brighter. This is NOT a brightness increase. What it does is make lit areas have more of a glow, but dark areas will remain totally dark. I highly recommend setting the gamma very low. While in a vent, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face, it should be pitch black. But lit areas like the deck on the torrens should be lit. Using this mod in conjunction with a low gamma will increase the atmosphere dramatically.
Finally, I have included two versions of this mod- one that keeps the original heavy thumps of his footsteps, and another that removes it entirely. Unlike other mods, all other sounds the alien makes are still included- such as his screams, hisses, and growls. It is only his footsteps that are removed.
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TLDR:
1) Alien behavior is much more realistic. He will not stalk you constantly. I have perfected his behavior beyond that of "unpredictable alien," which was created before all of the alien's behaviors were understood. I believe that this mod is the best alien behavior mod. His behavior will feel real, it will be tense, but it won't be "gamey."
2) The alien will now be much more likely to attack the player in the vents. In the vanilla game, especially on medium difficulty, this almost never happened.
3) Hack tool is now on a slightly shorter time-limit to provide a bit more challenge (a second or so shorter)
4) The pistol and shotgun can now make the alien retreat, but it is very difficult to pull off with diminishing returns. The shotgun no longer stuns the alien and requires 2 shots, and the pistol will require 5 or 6 rounds. There will likely be a time or two when the shotgun saves you in a last-ditch effort.
5) I have slightly altered lights to make them glow brighter. This is NOT a brightness increase. What it does is make lit areas have more of a glow, but dark areas will remain totally dark. I highly recommend setting the gamma very low for atmospheric purposes.
6) There are two versions of this mod- one where the alien's footsteps remain unchanged, and one where his footsteps are silent. In the silent step version, the alien's hisses, screams, growls, etc, have been left in.
DIFFICULTY SETTINGS:
This mod is designed to be played on medium or higher difficulty. It will provide a tense, horror-based, and rewarding experience at these levels, especially for new players. Hard mode is designed for experienced players or those who prefer a challenge. Finally, I have modded nightmare difficulty to be the exact same as hard difficulty, but there will be no map or hud on this difficulty, and fewer items to craft with. In other words, nightmare mode is an immersive way to play the game on hard difficulty.
The biggest change in this mod is to the alien's behavior. The vanilla game is way too unrealistic and frustrating- the alien is basically tethered to you on a leash the entire game once you first encounter him. You end up dying nonstop, and the horror and fear element is removed and replaced with frustration. An amazing mod, "unpredictable alien," was created to counter this problem, but it was created a long time ago before all the parameters of the alien's behavior were understood. The result was an alien that you often NEVER encountered, as well as behavior that didn't make sense.
Basically, the alien has three different "modes" that he can be in at any moment:
1) The Backstage- This is when the alien is above you in the ceiling. He is not an active threat at this time, but if you hear movement in the vents, he is close and may hear you if alerted through sound, and may drop down.
2) The Frontstage- This is when the alien has dropped from the vents and is walking around Sevastopol. He may not be "hunting" for you, or anyone, for that matter, but he is active and will attack people he runs into.
3) The Stalk- This is when the alien has been alerted to a presence and is actively "Stalking" for a sound or target he has been alerted to. This is when the alien is most dangerous.
The issue with the unpredictable alien mod is that it is coded in ways that don't always make sense. For instance, it was often programmed in a way where the alien would be "leashed" within a tighter radius to you while in the frontstage rather than when he was stalking you. I have remedied these issues and playtested THOROUGHLY. I believe the alien's behavior is now not only randomized in a way to where it doesn't feel like he is stalking you the entire game, but is also still incredibly tense, and challenging.
Another alien behavior that I have modded is the way he responds to the player hiding in vents. In the vanilla game, especially on medium difficulty, the Alien rarely enters the vents to attack the player. Now, the alien will enter the vents to attack the player much more often if they loiter, keeping you on your toes.
I have also shortened the time allowed to crack codes via the hack-tool. The times have been shortened just slightly (around a second), to provide a bit of a challenge. In the vanilla game, the times are so forgiving that the mini-games are more of an annoyance than a challenge. Another change is in the weapons. Now, the shotgun CAN make the alien retreat. Rather than stunning the alien, shooting him twice will now make him flee to the vents. Note that because he is no longer stunned from getting shot, you must squeeze off two shots quickly before he gets to you, which is VERY difficult, and you should only attempt it as a last resort- keeping balance. I have also modded the revolver in the same manner- but you must get 5 or 6 shots off, and over time he becomes immune to it totally. It is basically impossible to get 5 or 6 shots into him before he catches you, but I wanted to include this option to give the player a chance, however slight it may be.
I have slightly altered lights to make them glow brighter. This is NOT a brightness increase. What it does is make lit areas have more of a glow, but dark areas will remain totally dark. I highly recommend setting the gamma very low. While in a vent, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face, it should be pitch black. But lit areas like the deck on the torrens should be lit. Using this mod in conjunction with a low gamma will increase the atmosphere dramatically.
Finally, I have included two versions of this mod- one that keeps the original heavy thumps of his footsteps, and another that removes it entirely. Unlike other mods, all other sounds the alien makes are still included- such as his screams, hisses, and growls. It is only his footsteps that are removed.
--------------------------------------------
TLDR:
1) Alien behavior is much more realistic. He will not stalk you constantly. I have perfected his behavior beyond that of "unpredictable alien," which was created before all of the alien's behaviors were understood. I believe that this mod is the best alien behavior mod. His behavior will feel real, it will be tense, but it won't be "gamey."
2) The alien will now be much more likely to attack the player in the vents. In the vanilla game, especially on medium difficulty, this almost never happened.
3) Hack tool is now on a slightly shorter time-limit to provide a bit more challenge (a second or so shorter)
4) The pistol and shotgun can now make the alien retreat, but it is very difficult to pull off with diminishing returns. The shotgun no longer stuns the alien and requires 2 shots, and the pistol will require 5 or 6 rounds. There will likely be a time or two when the shotgun saves you in a last-ditch effort.
5) I have slightly altered lights to make them glow brighter. This is NOT a brightness increase. What it does is make lit areas have more of a glow, but dark areas will remain totally dark. I highly recommend setting the gamma very low for atmospheric purposes.
6) There are two versions of this mod- one where the alien's footsteps remain unchanged, and one where his footsteps are silent. In the silent step version, the alien's hisses, screams, growls, etc, have been left in.
DIFFICULTY SETTINGS:
This mod is designed to be played on medium or higher difficulty. It will provide a tense, horror-based, and rewarding experience at these levels, especially for new players. Hard mode is designed for experienced players or those who prefer a challenge. Finally, I have modded nightmare difficulty to be the exact same as hard difficulty, but there will be no map or hud on this difficulty, and fewer items to craft with. In other words, nightmare mode is an immersive way to play the game on hard difficulty.