InstaGib

In an attempt to ensure that the gameplay difficulty is accessible enough for players of all ages and skills, most developers rely on life bars or maximum amount of hits that the protagonist receives before meeting his demise. This essentially makes the experience more bearable by giving you a second chance when hurt by unexpected obstacles or enemies throughout the levels.

However, some games implement what is sometimes called “perma-death”, a mechanic in which any amount of damage taken is instantly fatal to increase the degree of immersion. This system can be added to Sven Co-op through the InstaGib plugin.

Thanks to the wide variety of resources, tutorials and examples that can be found regarding the creation of custom levels, anyone can pick up Valve’s Hammer editor and breathe life into their own spin-offs set in the Half-Life universe, which can ultimately be enjoyed with online friends through Sven Co-op’s excellent multiplayer component based on the GoldSource engine.

Since crafting custom game modes and inserting triggers can be more cumbersome than simply arranging the map’s NPC placement and setting up the environmental details, those who want to mimic the zero-compromise stealth mechanic found in games such as the Hitman series and Payday 2 can install the SvenMod plugin environment and download the add-on at hand to simulate a “mission-failed” type of scenario that results in instant death as soon as the enemies notice and attack you or your teammates.

This type of gameplay can be an enticing challenge for many players who want to raise the stakes of the objective in question and make them plan every move with enough care and attention to avoid being noticed by NPCs throughout an infiltration-based level set in the Half-Life universe, as long as the level itself is designed accordingly.

Whether you want to challenge yourself and your peers in various community-made or official levels, or you simply want to craft a custom level and try out the stealth mechanic in a Half-Life-inspired map, InstaGib may be the right tool for the job, given its rather straightforward installation process.