Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone Beginner Guide
What should you do first?
The safest opening route is Hive → training → one comfortable loadout → story contract. That sequence uses only launch systems the developer has confirmed, and it avoids building habits around old Half-Life: Alyx mod controls.
| Step | Why it matters | Confirmed at launch |
|---|---|---|
| Pick VR, mouse/keyboard, or controller | Leaderboards are separated between VR and non-VR | Yes |
| Use the Hive training stations | Lets you learn recoil, reload flow, aiming and movement before a scored run | Yes |
| Test a small set of weapons | There are 18 weapons plus per-weapon attachments | Yes |
| Start the connected story contracts | Early Access opens with three story contracts | Yes |
| Use the live objective text | Prevents old mod walkthroughs from sending you to the wrong place | Strongly recommended |
What is actually in the launch build?
The current Steam description lists three connected story contracts, the Hive home base, five challenge maps split across Takedown and Last Stand, 18 weapons, weapon attachments, a compound bow, knives, custom MP3 playback, achievements, leaderboards, unlockable cheats and a low-violence option.
Do not mix the Alyx mod with the standalone game
The old Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 videos are useful for understanding the series’ rhythm: concealment before the first shot, keycard-style objectives, escort pressure and hard restarts all show up as player pain points in the mod footage. But the standalone is a new game built from the ground up, so old objective locations and old control bindings should be treated as legacy references, not current answers.
Early mistakes to avoid
- Starting a scored contract before testing your chosen input mode.
- Copying an Alyx-mod route into the standalone release.
- Treating one early weapon as the permanent “best” before unlock costs and balance are verified.
- Ignoring the difference between VR and non-VR leaderboards when comparing scores.
- Assuming every pre-release screenshot still reflects final unlock order.