JubeyJubster's Hardcore Difficulty Mod

This mod aims to make Half-Life: Alyx a much more difficult game. This game is great, but I felt that once getting the hang of the controls I was able to beat the whole game on hard on my first playthrough without too much hassle. For those who want to replay this great game but want more of a challenge, this is the mod for you.

I felt that mods that aimed for a more "realistic" damage model in the Half-Life series, have made the game too easy. For example in this game, if the zombies only take a few bullets to kill, it's just too easy. It's already easy enough to avoid their hits, the zombies should be bullet spongey, and it should be a strategic decision whether to spend the ammo to kill them or not.

To install: Extract the cfg folder to steamapps\common\Half-Life Alyx\game\hlvr. Backup the original skill_hlvr.cfg files first if you want to revert, or simply delete the modded files later and verify integrity of game cache in the Steam options.

-Ammo is more rare on all difficulties

-Enemies (except the combine soldiers) take many more bullets to kill

-Combine soldiers deal more damage and take less damage to the stomach, arms, and legs

-There is a cap on how much ammo you can hold at a time (not sure if this works, needs more testing)

-Headshots in general deal more damage to most enemies

-Health vials give much more health to balance out the amount of damage you'll be taking

These changes I feel reward a more careful playstyle. Precise aiming is much more important, along with ammo management.

-Sometimes it's not worth it to kill all enemies! I took inspiration from Resident Evil 2 Remake zombies, so sometimes it's best to deal with headcrab and headcrab zombies by running around them, or making use of your environment instead of unloading bullets into them.

-Aim for the head! Headshots do more damage, while stomach, arm, and leg shots do less to combine soldiers. Chest shots are the next best option!

-Avoid barnacles! They now pose much more of a threat, as they take many more bullets to kill. It is best to avoid their tongues entirely. If one blocks your path, use the gravity gloves to throw an object into their path. This will give you plenty of time to get past them.

-Utilize cover during encounters with soldiers!

All difficulties have changes, although only hard mode has been thoroughly tested at this point.