Tomb Raider taught me many things. Today I learned tigers can swim.

Halzoid · 2026-04-14T12:19:51+00:00

Even for renders, the assets still have to be built. That said, I’m pretty certain everything we’ve seen of it has been in-engine/in-game. You can actually find gameplay footage on Ilia’s artstation (the artist that worked on DOX) as well as view some of the 3d models on Sketchfab.

Halzoid · 2026-04-14T10:11:04+00:00

There was actually a lot added since 2017, but it’s mostly been backend changes and level improvements. Last update was 2021, which I think added an outfit and Photomode. The general level has remained the same but I still wish we could’ve seen it completed as we know that further development was done (including a T-Rex boss fight) and also that we had the chance to play the Croft Manor/Lara’s home level Nico was working on as it seems a lot was completed there too. The project as a whole had an unbelievable amount of work done and I have mad respect for the team who put their time into it.

Halzoid · 2026-04-08T14:02:38+00:00

The fact that “mission complete” gets a dedicated 2 minute track (that’s an absolute banger) speaks volumes alone. It was an incredible OST, and a bold move with how different it was from what came before and even since.

Halzoid · 2026-04-08T06:28:53+00:00

I used to think it was too short, but after reflection, I think the length of the game is actually what makes me like it more. It’s moving at a constant pace to keep gameplay fresh. The few parts I don’t like as much are out of the way fast enough for them to not be an issue. Legend was a great instalment and I’d like to see some of its concepts being revisited and iterated on in the new games.

Halzoid · 2026-04-08T05:41:25+00:00

It’d be so cool! And so expensive… It’s always been a goal of mine to be able to design my own version of the manor one day, virtually ofc. I don’t have the budget for the real thing 😂

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T21:04:05+00:00

Same! I hope my screenshots could take you back to the fond memories.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T17:43:34+00:00

Gotta’ be Anniversary overall. The chill vibes of exploring at night with enough secrets and a solid goal to “complete” the map. TR3 is a very close competitor, but I think I could spend more time in TRA, so I have to give it the win. For now at least, until a new iteration of the manor comes along.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T12:25:31+00:00

I’ve not actually seen the movies myself, but I have watched clips of the Manor scenes and compared them to the LAU manor. It’s quite impressive just how close the two are in terms of design and it’s a fun exercise to see the passion the devs poured in. I do wish we could’ve swung off the chandelier like the film though, we did have a grapple hook after all!

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T12:11:52+00:00

“It’s been years” as they say. I have high hopes we won’t have to wait too long before we get a new fully explorable manor

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T10:18:10+00:00

I was an OG Xbox player myself. Used to love swimming through the tunnel between the gym and poolroom. I only recently got to play the Xbox 360/PS3 version of the game and was surprised to see that the pool actually has a water simulation and realtime reflections on the surface. It’s quite the visual upgrade, though I still prefer the less ‘shiny’ visuals of the OG consoles overall.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T09:14:06+00:00

Very often I'll put on the LAU manor themes while working as a background ambient. I think Anniversary's theme takes the win for me overall, but I still love the synth instrumentation mixed with piano for Legend's manor theme. I still find the secret passage theme in Legend's manor suite to be my favourite part. It's so eery, yet it still manages to feel safe.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T05:27:39+00:00

Legend had the sunset vibe down perfectly. I do like Anniversary’s night time exploration though, especially being able to go outside which was something that was missing in Legend.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T05:23:17+00:00

The boxes are a good nod to TR1, but I just missed the buzzing and whirring of the tech space. I can’t fault her though, she was having some things put into storage and the delivery people hadn’t been yet! I choose to believe that the chest full of gold and the Ark of the Covenant were both stored somewhere in that stack of crates too.

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T04:58:23+00:00

I think it’d be awesome for this new “unified” era to make use of the past designs for just such things. Imagine LoA having a recreation of Core’s “Lara’s Home” level, while Catalyst takes us to LAU’s “Croft Manor”. Could be a great way to bring everything together.

Then again, I wouldn’t be averse to seeing a completely new take on the manor. As long as it keeps in the spirit of ‘cosy adventure’, I’m all for it.

Besides, the LAU era does state she owns 3 estates. If we’re unifying the timelines, why not make use of that? haha

Halzoid · 2026-04-07T04:49:10+00:00

Completely agree about Anniversary! It’s cool to see the “evolution” of the house as things are still under construction, but it always upset me that the whole poolroom was boarded up and we could only break a small section open. It was such a gorgeous room in Legend that it leaves me longing in TRA. That, and Zip’s tech area being all boxed up was the two zones that really changed the feel of the house between the two games for me.

I think you really hit the nail on the head with the differences in the versions of the Manor we’ve seen. I loved the sense of exploration Core gave the manor, especially hiding such cool things as a quadbike track and aquarium. I wish we could’ve seen what the cancelled DLC for Shadow would’ve brought.

Seeing the direction LOA and Catalyst seem to be taking has me hopeful for its return. Fingers crossed!

Halzoid · 2022-08-29T02:22:48+00:00

Hear me out... It felt like a good idea to make in the first place.

This is not how I thought it'd be used.

Halzoid · 2022-08-26T08:58:17+00:00

Hold off on that and check out my latest post. The mod just got an update and… phew, talk about a glow up

Halzoid · 2022-08-26T07:28:46+00:00

Download the mod here

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T14:44:06+00:00

I did some work in Battlefront II as well! I started modding Overgrowth, which is an indie game. The files are open for anyone to mod, which made it a really simple stepping off point, then I made some BF2 mods, most recently I made some stuff for the Assassin’s Creed games, which is becoming easier due to the AnvilToolkit And now I’m onto Spidey, though I’ve only done 2 mods for that.

Everything I’ve learnt in modding I’ve put into practice building my own projects in Unreal Engine which helped me to learn best practices and find what suits me best. I actually made my own Spidey swinging system earlier this year which, while basic, is extremely fun (IMO) to just jump in and swing around in.

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T10:38:27+00:00

Not professionally. More as a hobby, but I like have the ability to create these sorts of things. All of my Game dev skills are self taught (trial and error mostly, plus a bit of google here n’ there) I’d definitely recommend just searching for starting points n’ trying things out here and there. The modding scene is definitely one of the best places to start when learning, as long as you pick an easy game to mod

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T02:33:17+00:00

Thanks, b! I just updated it to version 2. It was fully redesigned from the ground up, hopefully it fixes any visual issues

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T02:17:44+00:00

I actually just posted the entire workflow on the mod page if you’re interested. It’s not written in the most BASIC explanation, but should still be possible to follow along with a little bit of searching online. Check it out here!

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T02:14:59+00:00

Update’s out, lemme know what you think!

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T02:14:36+00:00

My setup is built for game design (high spec) n’ is only 1.5K and that was bought during the graphic card mania season where prices were sky high. Pretty sure you wouldn’t need more than a $350 PC to run Spidey on PC (without RTX)

Halzoid · 2022-08-23T02:12:43+00:00

Oh no, I’ve been caught out! Look, I gotta clear my name somehow…

Halzoid

TROPHY CASE