HalfLife 2 is amazing

I bought Halflife 2 the day it came out over 2 years ago. It has sat on a shelf un-opened until 4 days ago.

This game is just insane. After playing this, I won't be trying to do an FPS. I could never match this. It is ace. The bump mapping, specular lighting, physics, scripting, effects, and just soo much other stuff to mention. It really scares the piss outta me too late at night. The sound effects are just over the top and the ambient sounds really give it that total package. This is a masterpiece. No wonder a proper FPS game takes a full studio 2+ years to make. The story is superb. I wish a lot more developers would concentrate on story. It's a lot of what makes the FPS experiece. Counterstrike rocks too. ><

Anyone played Halflife 2 all the way through? I'm guessing I'm about half way done with it. I just got to the striders. Awesome stuff.

funny. I bought it 2 years ago as well and it sat on my shelf for 1 year. I installed it and was blown away.

..yup HL2 rocks...

Excellent game. I'm going to pick up Episode 1 and 2 when episode 2 comes out. The ability to do large terrains with the HL2 engine (and the FPS shooters that can make use of it) will be interesting to see.

I bought it and I played it immediately because I respect it, thus trusted it and everything else Half-Life, without exception, to be beautifully done :b
I haven't been disappointed yet!

I may be a tad biased, but I think that even now, with all the reasons WHY their games kick ass in plain sight, they manage to completely destroy the competition.

A few people may moan about the Source engine, but it is a great technology.
-Its animation capabilities are still unmatched (and made even better with Episode 2, it seems) and they make the games really immersive. Somehow, there are very few developers who recognize the importance of good facial expressions (or at least synchronized lip movement! -- I'm looking at you, LucasArts) in cutscenes.

-It runs on all sorts of hardware and it is extremely scalable / well optimized. There may be places where it annoyingly does not run or screws up, but Source continues to run on much older hardware than various other modern game engines. Adding to that, VALVE's stuff continues to look pretty nice on my oldish computer while other games (Doom 3, FEAR, Company of Heroes, Oblivion) look awful.


Upon mentioning CoH, I just remembered something: Has anyone else noticed how game developers seem to have recently forgotten how to do decent shadows?
I swear, it is impossible to get CoH's shadows to not be blocky. Then with Oblivion, the shadow detail control adjusts how many show up instead of actually what kind of effort is put into processing them. This looks stupid, of course. Who wants a scene with a single shadow added for "realism"?
Source's shadows are hardly pretty with the shadows through floors/walls glitches (once again, Episode 2's engine update finally fixes this it seems, and with style; including, it seems, smooth shadows cast from one animated character to another!), but they still look better than these.

Er... HL2, right.
Yep, great game, and Episode 2 is looking really nice. Too bad it was delayed again.
I've decided it is for the best, since I'd best wait until time off to play it anyway. (Although playing computer games in the summer does not feel justified).

Has anyone seen that multi-threading stuff for the Source engine?
They're getting a pretty solid multi-processor implementation in the works, opening all sorts of doors. They have, for example, a stellar rainfall demo where the rain drop impacts actually seem to be created by rain drops hitting the ground as opposed to just at random.
Also some nice particles stuff :)

That as well as some neat AI examples. It looks like VALVe is focussing a bit more on using the processor technology than graphics stuff, lately. A good idea; lots of games are a bit top-heavy. We have a lot of processor power lately, and it is just begging to be used!

I liked this quote:
"As Valve sees things, however, the era of pretty visuals is coming to an end. We have now reached the point where in terms of graphics most people are more than satisfied with what they see. Games like Oblivion look great, but it's still very easy to tell that you're not in a real world. This does not mean that better graphics are not important, but Valve is now interested in taking a look at the rest of the story and what can be done beyond graphics..."

Here:
http://anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2868&p=1

I don't know - I enjoyed HL2 but I also found it a kind of a sterile experience. What stood out for me the most was the character animation of Alyx and her father, but that was only a small part of the game.

Having said that, episode 2 looks to have some intense gameplay.

It is true, there isn't much in the way of huge numbers of bad guys in a lot of HL2... There are some intense bits like the part before Nova Prospect, but other bits are rather sparse seeming.
I think it's a bit of a style, and would have been nicer had the AI been more exciting.
(Not really AI, but remember those old gameplay vids with enemies hammering at doors being blocked with tables? I wish that such things were actually easily done in reality, but there was nowhere it really was necessary...)

The sparse areas are necessary, though, I think.
HL2 has completely seamlessly connected levels, and that continues to be a fantastic and uncommon effect, so a few travelling / quiet points need to be put in place to keep the player from being fatigued.
I'm not into that arcadish shoot-em-all-up style of gameplay, so that's probably why I like that so much. It sticks out from the crowd by having a sort of... depth.
I guess not really depth in the greatest sense of the word, but just a bit more focus on aspects which lots of other games ignore, all bogging down to achieving a cinematic feel without the cinematics.

Episode 1 has a few more 'intense' moments. If you're a graphics person, even that arguably boring reactor core part is rather exciting!


...Anyway, what the heck am I doing yammering about a computer game?!
I'm going to make my own, and it is, without question, better in every way.

Yes it is ... yes it is ...

Hmm, I just didn't like HL2 much, it was ok till I got to that boring zombie mutant ghetto place. I played it quite a bit further than that of course. But it felt too generic for me, particularly when you have what ammounts to another zombie shuffling zombie shooter.

I still enjoyed Riddick of the Xbox than almost any shooter that came out in the last few years. Except maybe Fear, that was pretty good.

'boring zombie mutant ghetto place'

Oh come on - capping zombies is fun!

Anyway, enjoyed COD2 again recently. Played it properly this time too - ramped up the difficulty, tried to work with my AI squadmates, take cover properly, not do anything too stupid or gung-ho. It was alot of fun - in fact I enjoyed it more than HL2.

@ Evak:
Well, everyone has their tastes. I personally liked the ways you could fight the zombies in Ravenholm
(Flying sawblades/engine blocks, dropping cars, propane traps, exploding-barrel-chain-reactions, etc.
(If you thought that was boring, then what's interesting to you?))

Anyway, just came to say: HL2 is one helluva great game, I agree.

Chroma:

that's a real shame... I think you should try and use HL2 more like a muse than as something out of your reach.
Every so often I hear people looking at my artwork and say that it makes them feel useless... that always makes me feel bad... I try to make enjoyable imagery...
I bring that up because I imagine the people working on HL2 would rather be bringing the gaming world fowards... not putting us in our place and telling us to get back into our box.
sorry to switch the mood of the conversation, guys...
but I just wanted to point that out I guess...

Oh, and oddly enough... my favourite fps of all time is still doom 1... (it's like a good old fashion retro arcade game) simple... fun... nice soundtrack. Don't get me wrong though, Half life 2 has a kickass engine, and is fun. But I still find myself putting doom 1 on and sitting back to kill some demons with a shotgun. And considering how old the doom series is, that's lastability!
lol... maybe I'm just simple...

I feel like the only person in the world who was underwhelmed by HL2. Not to disparage the game, it is quite stunning. Great graphics, weapons and physics. Everything has a great sense of physicality, brought out by the sounds and graphic effects as much as the physics engine.

But I got pretty bored after a while, all FPSes seem to blur together for me. I got it when it came out, and could never bring myself to finish it.

And I think the "all one level" idea of the game is pretty over-hyped. I hate running round a corner to be stopped in my tracks without warning while it loads the next part. I mean, it's basically just loading another level without showing a loading screen. Hardly revolutionary.

HL2 is a stunning achievement, but at the end of the day, once the novelty of the gravity gun has worn off, you are still aiming guns at bad guys. Been doing that for years.

I was waiting for it to go cheap but it never has due to steam...

Buy Resident Evil 4, the game that blurred all the best parts out of 1st and 3rd person shooters and in the end surpasses them both. Far more revolutionary than Half Life 2, Resident Evil 4 deliveres next gen gaming experiences unlike any other game, a breath taking experience without having to resort to next generation eye candy and physics to try to pull in the crowds.

@Grey
HL2 is worth the price of a full price game.

HL2 IS AMAZING.

I got the demo only and was blown away.



No, far from it. The gravity gun , for example, is an ingenius tool and makes game play very intersting. Being able to pick up steel blades and hurl them... priceless. And the ability to pick up cans of paint and "decorate" the zombies was very fun.

Plus the fear factor, especially with the head crabs, is so well done.

Physics is not a crutch in this game, it's an asset IMO.
It really pulls you into the total experience.

The immersive experience is wonderful, and the gravity gun really does allow you to arrange your world in very creative ways.

I bet it is, I just try to get games cheap. Now Resident Evil 4 is nice and cheap I'll get that too :-D

If you try to match what the big boys do, you will certainly have pain. You don't need all theses technical stuff to make a good game to play. And yes indeed HL2 kick ass! ^^

Haha!

Don't shoot! I need that extra chin!

Disclaimer:
I don't actually have multiple chins, that is a grimace. :-)

You're totally correct about Half Life 2. It's amazing. But you shouldn't give up on trying to make an FPS. There's lots of room in the FPS market for good games. You just need to compete on gameplay and not graphics. There are plenty of flash games out there that are popular because they have great gameplay even though the graphics are crappy. And I shun Counterstrike Source with its pretty graphics in favor of the original because the new one killed the gameplay with mushy controls, weak sounds, lack of hit feedback, and annoyingly dizzying flashbangs.

hehe, glad you like it sswift, I love the expression on your face in that photo :p

lol, nice one AshM.

I like the ragdoll physics too. Just soooo many features. I think the encounter that scared me the most was when I was driving the dune buggy. I stopped at this one area and went up and was climbing on girders underneath a bridge. It's where you get the crossbow. Anyways, I walked into a small shack and bam a crab jumped in my face. I bout flew outta my chair. I hit the trigger and sprayed the whole room fulla bullets. Freakin AWESOME.

You're in for a treat once you get that little squeezy ball. Let's just say once you do, you'll have a whole new army at your disposal.

Oh God that part was great.

spoiler:

Throwing a bugbait into a bunker or up onto the scaffolding on the cliffside and watching
this army of Starship Trooper-like bugs leap 40 feet and wipe out entire squads of enemy....
ahh good times.

But then, no more bugs. That's what I really appreciate about HL2. They introduce a play
mechanic, use it as best they can, then move on before it gets old.

Zombies climbing up drainpipes? Only happens once. Antlion army? Only once. Using live
enemies as projectiles? Only once.

Many games use only one of those play mechanics as their whole concept. It's incredible.

Why?

Normally when people start selling games/software on their own they realize that it's a lot of work and appreciate the work of others in terms of paying them for their work. No problems with getting something a little bit cheaper or games which are not this great as a budget title but in your case it often sounds like your primary goal is the price and only on the second view you care about the game.

Hmmm...

2 years old NOOOOO !!

Thats mean my GFX card is about 2.5 Years old and i bought it for 500 $. now is scrap worth.

...

So what. Stop worrying.

Yep I'm past the ant lion part...that was soo freakin cool. Can't wait to see what's in store next!!

I have just recently bought Half life 2 for the Xbox but I have a 360 and while I play gears of war alot I was still amazed at the graphics and physics that half life 2 has I heard somewhere that they used HAVOK physics engine

Yup...

In the pic...
What's with the bloody glove in his pocket?

I remember waiting at 6am in the morning for HL2 to be unlocked...Ahh that was a great day.

Aymes- foool!

I prefer Fear, though I needed your help to get through the start :P hhahaha

I'm waiting for episode 2 - not for the game itself but for the Team Fortress 2. Did anyone else see the Rocket Ballet video clip?

I played HL2 through about three or four times. I still like the Ravenholm part the best, even though most of it was a homage (to put it friendly) to the They Hunger mods for HL1. But I just love Zombie stuff, so that's cool.

Yes, the game has outstanding graphics and good sound effects, although I think that Doom 3 did an even better job in the sound area. Playing Doom 3 in a dark cellar room with headphones on --will-- give you a heart attack.

"Superb story?" I know my opinion is not very popular here, but did you play a different HL2 than me? I still have not found anything worth of being called a 'story' in that game. It actually has less plot than HL1 had.

The most annoying thing besides the lack of a story is that Gordon Freeman still is a mute. "Man of few words", as Alyx puts it. That could be excused in the nineties when HL1 came out, but it is no longer acceptable in this decade, especially not in a Half-Life game that is supposed to be on the bleeding edge of technology and gameplay.

I've already forgotten most of HL2:Episode 1, except that it is Valve's attempt to take the Cliffhanger concept of TV series to computer games. Well, I'll get EP2 and EP3 anyway, because despite all criticism, I --do-- like the HL universe a lot. Especially the head crabs and zombies. ;-)

I must have played a different HL2 as well.
OK, so quite spooky in places and it's a good FPS but other than that it's "Quick, go from here to there. No, don't use that door... use this door except we have to press a button first. Yes, I know the jumpy things in Ravenholm are quick but just keep saving/loading and you'll manage it. What do you mean 'breaks the immersion factor'?

> "Superb story?" I know my opinion is not very popular here, but did you play a different HL2 than me?

I agree, but stories are for Books and movies, games need to focus on gameplay! HL2 had that covered very well.

Yo:
That's me, and the "glove" is actually a rubber hand. Finger food for the zombie.

I'd forgotten that pic... My eyes had dark circles under them from the makeup for days. :-)

You just didn't pay close enough attention.

Before you arrived, aliens invaded earth. A reproduction supression field was activated. A group of rebels was formed and led by members of the black mesa team. The scientist who ran the black mesa facility betrayed everyone and assisted the aliens. He believes he's doing the best thing for mankind. Then another scientist betrays you.

Meanwhile, people are being experiemented on. The soldiers you're fighting are some kind of modified humans, possibly devolved, or human/ape hybrid. (You see a diagram of their skull structure at one point.)

Then you have Alyx. She's your love interest. And you have the tensions and love between her and her father. And you're introduced to her cool robot.

Then you find out that bad things happened at Ravenholm, and you end up traveling there and seeing for yourself what was done to the people.

Finally, after a massive onslaught against the combine in their home base, you have a climactic confrontation with the lead bad guy.

You even find out that some of the aliens that you thought were bad guys, weren't.

And you say there's no plot? Half Life 1 didn't even have half the plot. An experiment went wrong. Aliens appeared. And then what? You head to the surface for no particular reason, and end up fighting soldiers who are there to kill the aliens and the black mesa crew. Oh, and the gman mysteriously appears here and there for no reason, watching you. And that's about all there is to it.

I could go on and on about all the little details about people's lives that they get into with Half Life 2, but Half Life 1 is almost devoid of such information.

A talking main character is bleeding edge technology? Nah, they're old and they usually suck. The point of a first person shooter is feeling in control of your character's actions. When he talks for you, unless it's some really damn good talking (Prey, Duke Nukem), it defeats that feeling and the game may as well be a real time strategy.

HL2's story was superb in that it did not do anything completely random and it did not rely on control-less cutscenes to carry it. Everything that happened made some sense within the game :)
The backstory is presented in little clues throughout the game, and it is indeed a nice backstory. If you care about backstory, you can try to figure it out, otherwise you are not bothered by it. I, for one, like that it wasn't presented with some boring, emotionless briefing video at the beginning. (Eg: Freelancer).
The story has room for enough character animation throughout the game such that it is neither too boring nor too filled with excessive schmultzy, over-done character humanization (eg: Company of Heroes). Everything that happened happened within the game.

So, yes, I agree that HL2's story is not a fantastic story in the traditional sense of the word, but it fits really well within the game. It's a good story because, unlike most game stories that try to have some depth, it also fits inside of - perhaps enhances - the gameplay.

> The backstory is presented in little clues throughout the game, and it is indeed a nice backstory.

True - it has a story. But it really isn't a very original or even good story. To it's credit it is executed well and most important is that it enhances the game play rather then feeling like some tacked on thing.

Extra bit. A good Video Game story has a lot in common with a good RPG (paper and pencil kind). What would make for terrible cinema or books make great game stories. Great books focus on character, motivation, plot. Great Immersive stories focus on giving the player the feeling of control.

"A story in a FPS is like a story in a porn movie, it can be there, but it's not essential."
- John Carmack
(From memory... It's in "Masters of DooM")

Half-Life to me has a great story in the same sense that Another World (Out of This World) had. It immerses you in a world where things make sense and you fill in some holes while you're playing... It's not really well written or original, but it does immerse you in the game and doesn't distract you while you're playing a great shooter... To me - it's perfection! I love HL2 for gameplay... For a story in a shooter see Max Payne. Nothing is wrong with it's gameplay, but let's be honest - in that aspect it's no rival to HL2...

One of the more impressive things, for me at least, in both HL and HL2 is the lack of cutscenes. The story unfolds before your eyes and actions, not as some disembodied viewer.

The scripts depend upon you being there, but accept the fact you don't say anything. In fact, the scripted sequences can be interrupted by your actions (think to the area where you first meet Alyx and her father - did you try wandering around the room as everyone else was speaking?).

The immersiveness (sp?) of the experience depended upon good gfx, physics and storyline. Sure, the storyline isn't Shakespere, but it isn't a "scientists created metal hybrid aliens and dumped them on a remote planet, and now you have to fight them to defeat their powerbase" either.

"A story in a FPS is like a story in a porn movie, it can be there, but it's not essential."

Dinosaur. Spoken like a man who's had his 15min.

Story, characterisation - as technical limitations are becoming less onerous, designers are realising that these can be wonderful motivators. Else what have you got? What I call 'cursor based gameplay' - i.e you have a cursor that happens to look like an alien/soldier/spaceship whatever, and you move it through a 2d/3d space issuing commands. Which is pretty similar to working with a spreadsheet...

To me the game is defined by a gameplay that's why it's a game in the first place... I'm an adventure game player at heart and even then I still think the story is not as important as the puzzles (now, it's a bit of a stretch still, but I do believe in that)...