One of the more different type of mods in Half-Life is Vampire Slayer. VS is basically what the title stands for. It's a one-time game experience where you can play as either Slayers or Vampires, and you must hunt each other down for a round to end. The objectives are simple, kill each other. Of course, this doesn't come to as easy as it sounds. VS combines fast-paced gameplay with unique player perspectives, and the chance to maul at other corpses if you wish.

To start off, VS does not have any real objectives. You kill the enemy, or be killed, simple as that. There's no planting of bombs, or hitting this switch or that. It's survival of the fittest. Don't be alarmed though, VS is more than a simple team deathmatch game. Vampire Slayer defies the physics of the Half-Life Engine by awarding special abilities to vampires, while letting Slayers wield guns. The graphics in the game are very good. Character models are spectacular with great lighting effects. Vampires do look like freaks from hell, and your slayers are one tough group. Models can look a bit thin at times, but hey, this is the hardcore warriors of the fittest. Map designs are also very solid, but many maps seem team biased. For example, almost any daylight map is biased towards slayers since vampires are affected by daylight. Basically, there are a few maps in the game where one team will get its ass fragged constantly and constantly.

Sound effects and music in the game are disturbing, but in a good way. On various maps, there is creepy dracula-like music, or Indian music which gives a good tone to the stage. The effects are good, with doors making loud, noticeable sounds. The sound effects of the vampires are absolutely spectacular. They were designed so that slayers knew exactly when a vampire was approaching. Their jumps, growls, and scratch marks each have a unique soundwave, allowing slayers to get a chance to see an oncoming vampire.

The gameplay though is the best part of Vampire Slayers. Basically, vampires are superhumans capable of reaping havoc amongst humans. Vampires cannot use weapons, and only have claws to attack with. These claws however have super deadly power and can almost cause an instant kill or super loss of health on the slayers. Vampires do not die until they are staked by a slayer. When a vampire reaches zero health, he will collapse to the ground like a dead body. After a certain amount of seconds, he will then "resurrect", and continue (with low life), until he is eventually staked. This is what makes VS such a great mod, and so fun at the same time. Vampires also have special abilities which last for a limited time. These abilities include nightvision (targets turn a bright red), invisibility (you become a thin transparent color), and sunlight protection (no damage suffered from sunlight). Almost forgot to say that vampires will lose life, and DIE if they stay in sunlight too long. Anyhow, it seems like Vampires are overpowered, right? WRONG.

With such uncanny abilities, slayers are also one tough group to beat. Slayers, unlike vampires, can use various weapons. These include shotguns, handcannons, uzis, pistols, rifles, and their trusty stake. In order to register a kill in VS, a slayer must stake a vampire. You can KO (knockout) a vampire if you wish, but you still won't get a kill for shooting him down. This means you have to run up to a vampire (after shooting him down), and stake his feigned body on the ground. It brings a lot of concept into VS, and also horror since you only have limited time before the Vamp will rise to strike again. Slayers also have abilties such as limited invincibility. Vampire Slayer is a fast paced mod, meaning that you can get rushed or scared quite easily.

Not only does it combine fun, fast gameplay, but it also provides a dark, and very scary environment. The only true disadvantages is camping, and a lack of servers. Lag is not a problem, as most people can get as low as 30 ping. Slayers tend to camp a lot more than they should, and this can become a pain on maps that involve sunlight. Still, VS is a fun mod to play if you want a change of pace in your Half-Life gaming. Please note that hacks have been found in VS, and that you can also use 3rd person mode for better agility and things of the such. It's just one of the unfortunate disadvantages when playing Vampire Slayer. Now where's my bloody garlic...

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• Father D is the best slayer in the game. His shotgun is the best for taking down multiple vampires, and use the secondary attack for a double shotgun blast when a vamp gets close. Father D's secondary power on his cross is limited invincibility, so use it when necessary!
• Father D's handcannon is overrated. Use it primarily as a long range weapon.
• Molly has no true presence as a slayer on the battlefield. Her crossbow yields an instant KO & death if you can strike a vamp in the heart, but otherwise she sucks at close range.
• Eightball is the most overrated slayer in the game. Lots of people select him because he looks cool. His Thunder 5 pistol is like a mini-shotgun, and his rifle is great for sniping. Still, avoid using him since he's slightly overpowered.
• Nina is the best vampire if you're looking for speed and agility. She has the least amount of time between a resurrection, so use it wisely!
• Edgar has a nice invisibility power, but his resurrection time is horrible. Avoid using him unless necessary.
• Press E (use button) to suck blood from a dead corpse if you're a vampire. You will slowly regain life.
• As a vampire, avoid making loud sounds from leaps or scratch marks. The whole idea of VS is to surprise your enemy, not give the slayers an advantage with their ranged weapons.
• On daylight maps, DO NOT camp the outsides as a slayer. It's cheap, and downright dirty since vamps die easily in sunlight.
• Most Vampires will do a quick power leap towards you. To avoid it, do a small jump towards them, but off at an angle. The idea is to have a vampire circle you until you can reload and fire.
• Teamwork is more essential for vampires than is for slayers. A mass group of vampires is ALWAYS more threatening than a mass group of slayers. A group of slayers tends to make more targets for vampires.
• If slayers do decide to camp, try camping in corners. Corners limit the mobility, and angle of attacks for vampires.
• Some people do hack in VS. Not a lot, but some people do. If you think someone is hacking, wait until an admin joins, and report it. Don't try to initiating your own vote. Most people THINK someone is cheating just because they're good.
• If you're looking for a good map to play on, VS_Quaint is probably the most balanced out of all the maps.
• If you are a vampire, get familiar with using the quick leap (CTRL+JMP). The quick leap is quick (duh), fast, and eliminates the chances of a slayer hitting you.
• Avoid using the normal leap with a vampire. It only makes you a bigger, and slower target for the slayers.
• Increase your mouse sensitivity to +10 as a vampire. The quicker you can turn to swing your claws, the more kills you will rack on your head.
• As a slayer, set your mouse sensitivity to 7.5 or less. This will give you better accuracy, and precision on nailing the vampires down.

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