LTTP: Half -Life 2
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VanMardigan
has calmed down a bit.
TheExodu5 said:
I didn't claim you could? Did you even read the post I quoted?
And I still don't get how wasd is better than a nunchuck. Are we really saying that digital > analog here? I'm not arguing against the mouse portion of the kb/m control setup.
The speed afforded by digital movement is preferable to the ability to slightly alter your course (as opposed to doing everything at 45 degree angles). You literally can't do a Quake 3 rocket jumping video with an analog stick.VanMardigan said:
edit: Who cares. HL2 is awesome. Even the driving sections.
Visualante
Member
No but there's the cinematic mod, the author of whom says he has maxed out the current revision of the Source engine.Xdrive05 said:
In fact Valve not releasing it is probably because they don't have the staff, and they'd be shitting over the author's already better work.
epmode said:
Yeah, another skill jumper in the house knows what he's talking about.
I will say that WSAD has a huge learning curve if you plan on getting good enough to skill jump though. It took me a long time to be able to get as good as I did in TFC concing and rocket jumping (was in -g1 if anyone knew the TFC skill jumping community :lol).
Xdrive05 said:
No. They're filthy liars.
I dunno if I already mentioned it in this thread about HL2 and its episodes are really the best FPS games ever.
Playing the PC version 4 years later after its original release ftw?
Those loading screens are only a second long when I played the Orange Box a couple of months ago.
sonicmj1 said:
Playing the PC version 4 years later after its original release ftw?
Those loading screens are only a second long when I played the Orange Box a couple of months ago.I <3 Memes
Member
VanMardigan said:
You are looking at this all wrong. First off you asked how you would be able to use W A S D at the same time with only 3 fingers but truth is you never need to use W and S at the same time in any first person shooter, so that is never a problem.
Yes pressing W to move forward is a very linear type of movement compared to the radius of a thumbstick, but again you are looking at it all wrong. W A S D gives you 4 directions of movement, using 2 keys at the same time like W + A gives you 4 more directions at 45 degree angles, but using the mouse to control movement direction fills in every conceivable angle in between. Thumbsticks dont give you that.
The reason WASD is a standard default config with pc games instead of ESDF (the natural default typing position) is because the control key is default for crouch and space bar is default for jump in most games. WASD allows a user to hit W + control + space bar to jump at the same time to perform a crouch jump. Of course in any worthwhile game you can rebind the keys any way you want, but you will want to bind forward, crouch, and jump in a position that allows you to use all 3 at the same time.
After awhile KB/M becomes second nature to you in a way that a controller never can. It just takes a little time. Everybody here who came from console gaming to pc gaming went through it and we all survived and came to enjoy KB/M much more then a controller and so will you.
I was replaying some of my favorite parts (and I pressed on towards Nova Prospekt. I'm at the gunship battle at the end of Sandtraps), and I can't get over how great the pacing and presentation is. The graphics look really dated by now, and this is one time where stylizing everything wouldn't work. However, the whole world is way more believable and well thought out than most games I've played, and pretty much every new release since 2004.
I love the fact that the game is set in our world, in some time in the future (but not too far). I like that humanity has essentially lost the war by the time Gordon shows up and helps turn the tide. But what really gets me is how Valve uses stuff in our world, things we're familiar with like air ducts, catwalks, and even a plank of wood and not only make these things part of the game design, but make it look natural. That takes talent and imagination.
But back to the presentation: The story may not be the best one out there, but Valve and the voice actors tell it well. What's great about Half-Life 2 (and especially the episodes) is that the characters are so believable (at least the main cast), that you really feel alone when it's just you again. And I dunno about anyone else, but I loved that danger's always right behind you. Whenever you leave a town or someone that's helped you, the Combine are there (such as at the very end of Highway 17). It keeps you pressing forward in a way that a simple cutscene never could.
Anyway, one of the segments I played tonight was Black Mesa East. It has just about all I love about how Valve presents the game to you. First you have great characters in Alyx, Eli, and Dog, and in getting you to the tutorial for the gravity gun, they set you up with some animosity between Alyx and Dr. Mossman (or maybe Alyx towards Dr. Mossman). They introduce you to Dog and his personality (try throwing the ball into the sewer and see how confused he gets), and then it's all interrupted by a Combine raid.
The best part is how they set up the next level. As you're walking down the corridor to the scrapyard, Alyx says, "That's the old passage to Ravenholm... We don't go there anymore." Merle Dandridge really sells it, too. It's almost like she's not really talking to Gordon, but remembering out loud the reasons why. As the player, you should know what it's building up to, especially when Eli gets cut off saying, "Take Gordon out of here, head for the coast. Do not go to Ra-". Of course, you get separated from Alyx and the other side needs Dog more than you do, so you're on your own. And then there's the name of the level as rarely heard ominous music starts: "We Don't Go to Ravenholm..." Amazing.
...So yeah. That went on longer than I meant it to, but I don't think I've really ever vomited my thoughts out on this game like this. So there they are.
I love the fact that the game is set in our world, in some time in the future (but not too far). I like that humanity has essentially lost the war by the time Gordon shows up and helps turn the tide. But what really gets me is how Valve uses stuff in our world, things we're familiar with like air ducts, catwalks, and even a plank of wood and not only make these things part of the game design, but make it look natural. That takes talent and imagination.
But back to the presentation: The story may not be the best one out there, but Valve and the voice actors tell it well. What's great about Half-Life 2 (and especially the episodes) is that the characters are so believable (at least the main cast), that you really feel alone when it's just you again. And I dunno about anyone else, but I loved that danger's always right behind you. Whenever you leave a town or someone that's helped you, the Combine are there (such as at the very end of Highway 17). It keeps you pressing forward in a way that a simple cutscene never could.
Anyway, one of the segments I played tonight was Black Mesa East. It has just about all I love about how Valve presents the game to you. First you have great characters in Alyx, Eli, and Dog, and in getting you to the tutorial for the gravity gun, they set you up with some animosity between Alyx and Dr. Mossman (or maybe Alyx towards Dr. Mossman). They introduce you to Dog and his personality (try throwing the ball into the sewer and see how confused he gets), and then it's all interrupted by a Combine raid.
The best part is how they set up the next level. As you're walking down the corridor to the scrapyard, Alyx says, "That's the old passage to Ravenholm... We don't go there anymore." Merle Dandridge really sells it, too. It's almost like she's not really talking to Gordon, but remembering out loud the reasons why. As the player, you should know what it's building up to, especially when Eli gets cut off saying, "Take Gordon out of here, head for the coast. Do not go to Ra-". Of course, you get separated from Alyx and the other side needs Dog more than you do, so you're on your own. And then there's the name of the level as rarely heard ominous music starts: "We Don't Go to Ravenholm..." Amazing.
...So yeah. That went on longer than I meant it to, but I don't think I've really ever vomited my thoughts out on this game like this. So there they are.
brain_stew
Member
Xdrive05 said:
Download the Cinematic Mod. Even if you don't want the new textres/models, you can just delete them and it'll use the original Valve alternatives but with all the new engine upgrades applied on top.
Don't use this for your first playthroguh, though.
It'll change the difficulty and weapon balance as well, but again, this can be changed back to Valve's default as well.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
I remember the first time I played through Half-Life 2, one of the things that impressed me most was the general level design, and the way you had to use what is essentially simple logic to work them out.
Ravenholm has some really great examples of this. There's that electric fence with the ladder on it. The first time I played I spent forever in that little alley trying to figure out how to get through. After a couple of minutes of fruitless attempts to jump the thing, my mind finally went back to basic lateral thinking instead of the usual "game logic" way of thinking. I had to scan the generator, and work out, using nothing but my own common sense, that the cord connecting the generator to the open window of a nearby building was worth checking out. My goal changed from "how do I get over this fence" to "how do I get into this building". Once I completed the puzzle, the feeling of accomplishment was amazing. The game doesn't hold your hand, but it does point you in the right direction using the environment in a way that I still haven't seen in a game to this day (and I played the game for the first time in 2007).
There's other great moments, like when you have to jump from the rooftop into the water tank, and when you have to climb some boxes onto the rooftop, only to realise that in order to continue you have to work out how to activate the little lift thing.
Anihawk, you mentioned one of my absolute favourite things about HL2 that the episodes, while absolutely amazing, have never managed to evoke: the feeling of isolation. The game makes you feel like you are one man up against impossible odds, but despite it all you are kicking ass (in a non-Michael Bay way like oh so many other games, when you destroy a gunship it falls to the ground, breaks into a few parts, and that's the end of it). Similarly, it feels like you are traveling across a HUGE chunk of land, without getting tedious or bland, it simply is. When you arrive at your destination, you feel like you did something challenging, yet fair. The frustration isn't there.
HL2 is one of the few games that I feel makes me feel like I've earned something. Escaping the Combine chasing you down during the opening train-yard sequence through to the airboat is so, so rewarding. The payoff of finally blowing that fucking chopper up, meeting up with everyone at Black Mesa East, and obtaining the Gravity Gun, is brilliant. Similarly, breaking in to Nova Prospekt achieves the same feeling. Thanks to the level design, it never feels like I'm walking down corridors, or walking into enemy rooms. It feels like I'm actually finding my way through a series of pipes and climbing the mountainside in order to break into the high-security prison (and it actually feels like a HIGH SECURITY prison). There's so many more instances like this throughout, some subtle, some blatant.
What makes it all so great, on top of the super-impressive level design, the feeling of reward, and the contrast between the long stretches of loneliness and the character moments, is the difficulty. The game, thanks to reasons and situations I've described above, and heaps more in the actual game, makes you feel like you're actually, say, up against the Combine's final push against you as you near the Citadel. When you kill those last few Striders, and end the huge series of battles you've had throughout the city and library area before it, you feel like you've just come out on top despite all but impossible odds. And yet, the beauty of it, and what makes Valve one of my favourite devs, is that that feeling is achieved without making the game unfairly difficult, overly easy, or tedious (the pacing, which I could probably ramble on about for a few more paragraphs, is one of Valve's strongest qualities). Then you get to "sneak" into the Citadel, observe this massive, alien, structure and its workings without the interruptions of more gun-play. It's like they realised that they'd peaked, so instead they give you the fucking super gravity gun. That last level of HL2 is such a great pay-off for the entire journey you've just completed.
I feel like playing Half-Life 2 again right now and I finished a complete run-through of it and its episodes a week ago. I've held off from calling it a masterpiece in the past, because I didn't want to jump the gun and sound too rabid, but as time goes on, the game hasn't lost any of the qualities that made it great. Each time I replay it, even though I know what's coming, and can see all the wires behind the scenes holding everything in place thanks to repeated playing, I appreciate the game a little more.
My favourite game, in any case. Maybe I'm crazy.
Ravenholm has some really great examples of this. There's that electric fence with the ladder on it. The first time I played I spent forever in that little alley trying to figure out how to get through. After a couple of minutes of fruitless attempts to jump the thing, my mind finally went back to basic lateral thinking instead of the usual "game logic" way of thinking. I had to scan the generator, and work out, using nothing but my own common sense, that the cord connecting the generator to the open window of a nearby building was worth checking out. My goal changed from "how do I get over this fence" to "how do I get into this building". Once I completed the puzzle, the feeling of accomplishment was amazing. The game doesn't hold your hand, but it does point you in the right direction using the environment in a way that I still haven't seen in a game to this day (and I played the game for the first time in 2007).
There's other great moments, like when you have to jump from the rooftop into the water tank, and when you have to climb some boxes onto the rooftop, only to realise that in order to continue you have to work out how to activate the little lift thing.
Anihawk, you mentioned one of my absolute favourite things about HL2 that the episodes, while absolutely amazing, have never managed to evoke: the feeling of isolation. The game makes you feel like you are one man up against impossible odds, but despite it all you are kicking ass (in a non-Michael Bay way like oh so many other games, when you destroy a gunship it falls to the ground, breaks into a few parts, and that's the end of it). Similarly, it feels like you are traveling across a HUGE chunk of land, without getting tedious or bland, it simply is. When you arrive at your destination, you feel like you did something challenging, yet fair. The frustration isn't there.
HL2 is one of the few games that I feel makes me feel like I've earned something. Escaping the Combine chasing you down during the opening train-yard sequence through to the airboat is so, so rewarding. The payoff of finally blowing that fucking chopper up, meeting up with everyone at Black Mesa East, and obtaining the Gravity Gun, is brilliant. Similarly, breaking in to Nova Prospekt achieves the same feeling. Thanks to the level design, it never feels like I'm walking down corridors, or walking into enemy rooms. It feels like I'm actually finding my way through a series of pipes and climbing the mountainside in order to break into the high-security prison (and it actually feels like a HIGH SECURITY prison). There's so many more instances like this throughout, some subtle, some blatant.
What makes it all so great, on top of the super-impressive level design, the feeling of reward, and the contrast between the long stretches of loneliness and the character moments, is the difficulty. The game, thanks to reasons and situations I've described above, and heaps more in the actual game, makes you feel like you're actually, say, up against the Combine's final push against you as you near the Citadel. When you kill those last few Striders, and end the huge series of battles you've had throughout the city and library area before it, you feel like you've just come out on top despite all but impossible odds. And yet, the beauty of it, and what makes Valve one of my favourite devs, is that that feeling is achieved without making the game unfairly difficult, overly easy, or tedious (the pacing, which I could probably ramble on about for a few more paragraphs, is one of Valve's strongest qualities). Then you get to "sneak" into the Citadel, observe this massive, alien, structure and its workings without the interruptions of more gun-play. It's like they realised that they'd peaked, so instead they give you the fucking super gravity gun. That last level of HL2 is such a great pay-off for the entire journey you've just completed.
I feel like playing Half-Life 2 again right now and I finished a complete run-through of it and its episodes a week ago. I've held off from calling it a masterpiece in the past, because I didn't want to jump the gun and sound too rabid, but as time goes on, the game hasn't lost any of the qualities that made it great. Each time I replay it, even though I know what's coming, and can see all the wires behind the scenes holding everything in place thanks to repeated playing, I appreciate the game a little more.
My favourite game, in any case. Maybe I'm crazy.
Keyboard/mouse ensures better aiming accuracy. In terms of control mappings, the controller can either be very intuitive or very annoying. HL2 was annoying on the 360 b/c it was nearly impossible to aim and crouch jump. You'd have to move your right thumb off of the right joystick in order to hit the face buttons, meaning that while you were executing the move you wouldn't be able to move.
You also have access to a LOT more buttons. FPS games were really designed with the keyboard/mouse in mind. Have you ever tried playing a console shooter that has dedicated grenade buttons, lean functions, reload, zoom, shoot, jump, crouch, weapon cycle, and everything else? At least a few of those controls will eventually be mapped to unintuitive locations where they are difficult to access. This doesn't happen with KB/M, since everything is literally at your fingertips. I have an MX-1000 so I like to mount all gun-related controls to my mouse. This includes the reload function and quick change on shooting modes.
No, and from the sounds of it they probably won't. There are mods available that do a better job of this. See the Cinematic mod (though IMO the character models look horrrible!)
Agreed. The loading time is literally a blink of the eye on a new system, but it would be nice if they had dynamic loading like the UE3 engine supports (see Gears of War). I'd expect this as an engine enhancement coming with HL2 Ep 3.
You also have access to a LOT more buttons. FPS games were really designed with the keyboard/mouse in mind. Have you ever tried playing a console shooter that has dedicated grenade buttons, lean functions, reload, zoom, shoot, jump, crouch, weapon cycle, and everything else? At least a few of those controls will eventually be mapped to unintuitive locations where they are difficult to access. This doesn't happen with KB/M, since everything is literally at your fingertips. I have an MX-1000 so I like to mount all gun-related controls to my mouse. This includes the reload function and quick change on shooting modes.
Xdrive05 said:
No, and from the sounds of it they probably won't. There are mods available that do a better job of this. See the Cinematic mod (though IMO the character models look horrrible!)
sonicmj1 said:
Agreed. The loading time is literally a blink of the eye on a new system, but it would be nice if they had dynamic loading like the UE3 engine supports (see Gears of War). I'd expect this as an engine enhancement coming with HL2 Ep 3.
Everyone has their own preference. I hate driving in shooter games altogether, but I found HL2's driving maps a little more tolerable (still not good) than others.K' Dash said:
I <3 Memes
Member
brain_stew said:
Do you have a link to the newest version of the mod? Every time I've looked for it I've only been able to find older versions that are just texture upgrades. Any graphic glitches caused by it?
Half Life 2 is an amazing experience, but I think it really doesn't hold up on repeat playthroughs due to how linear the experience is. That said, I did replay half life 1 recently, which is probably the most linear game I have ever played in my entire life, and I think it actually holds up better than Half Life 2 on replayability. So... who knows, maybe I just need to wait a couple years before replaying HL2, but these are definitely 2 great games.
Flachmatuch
Member
TheExodu5 said:
A bit OT: I believe you're right about WASD, but I think that's more of a result of FPS' evolving mostly on PCs, within the possibilities of the PC. Maybe you don't need to be able to turn finely and accurately in PC FPS' because you simply can't (or rather...you can already do that and it's only the running speed that you can influence but whatever), and maybe that influenced the development of FPS controls and gameplay to some extent. As for the skill jump stuff, all control systems can have stuff like that - it's just an effect of people exploring skill-based games deeply and exploiting their peculiarities. The same thing happens in console games too (like in Mario Kart or fighting games)...maybe more on PC as (a certain section of) PC gamers are more "hardcore" than most console gamers...but the fact that you can "skill jump" the way you now only with WASD doesn't really mean it's "superior" (not that there's a single axis of superiority in control systems) - it just means that this particular sub-game evolved using this particular method. I think it's pretty probable that you'd have similar sub-games like this even with different control methods.
DieNgamers
Member
Who said this, I want to be his friend! No need to feel sorry, though, it's one of the best games this gen. You should feel happy for him..after all he got the chance of playing this masterpiece.Chinner said:
Oh, and I've been replaying HL2 because of this thread. I've still got some problems with the pacing (reminds me why I prefer episode 2 in some ways) and the gunfights but overall it's such a good experience. You really feel alone and the architecture feels very believable to me. I hate the german dub, though, that's why I play in english...It really is beyond embarrassing.
I <3 Memes
Member
Flachmatuch said:
It's not because of WASD, it's because of the mouse, which covers every conceivable angle you want to move in. You can move around a map doing nothing more then holding W and using the mouse to control the direction. You wouldn't want to since it would be inefficient compared to using WASD and all of their combination's together with a mouse, I'm just using that as an example of how WASD combined with using a mouse for fine tuning your direction precisely covers every conceivable angle you would want to move in while a controller is more limited.
forknknife
Banned
I want to take the opportunity to say that i finished HL2 for the first time a few days ago and i think it´s the best FPS i´ve ever played (even though i´m not an expert on the genre, but i like it quite a lot). The best thing was that after finishing it i logged in to NeoGAF and realized i was finally accepted in here!
In a few days i´ll start with Episode 1, i hope it´s as good as people say it is
In a few days i´ll start with Episode 1, i hope it´s as good as people say it is
Flachmatuch
Member
I <3 Memes said:
I never questioned that, and wasn't even talking about this though. My point was that there are very often side games and exploitable mechanics like skill jumping in complex skill-based games regardless of the control method.
Anyway, FPS games are - games. They're deep and have refined control methods but those are in no way the "right" control methods, they're just very refined because they have been evolving for a long time. For example, the way PC FPS' are played is often completely unrealistic. In real life, you don't strafe/circle strafe, bunny hop, rocket jump or whatever, these are all techniques that were born because of the peculiarities of the PC control system, around the particular advantages of the control system. (Although in real life the mechanics of aiming are much closer to what you do with the mouse than with an analogue stick.) We'd probably have stuff like this with different control systems too, just different. It takes quite a bit of time and lots of gamers for these kinds of things to develop though.
I started playing this on PC a while back and couldn't really get into it. I only played until the first gunship you fight while on the water scooter. It seemed really slow and I couldn't really bring myself to keep playing.
I recently borrowed the Orange Box on 360 from my friend and decided to give it another go. Holy shit this game sucked me in. The pacing of this game once things start moving is incredible.
I'm currently just after the part where you rescue Barney from the snipers.
I recently borrowed the Orange Box on 360 from my friend and decided to give it another go. Holy shit this game sucked me in. The pacing of this game once things start moving is incredible.
I'm currently just after the part where you rescue Barney from the snipers.
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Timejehuty said:
mobnauseum
Neo Member
jehuty said:
I think Valve have admitted that in hindsight they shouldn't have called these these 'Episodes' and rather 'Parts' - the 3rd in the installment (apparently) will be nearly as large in gameplay hours as HL2 - hence the wait.
Personally, I'm happy to wait -
especially if they build on the Aperture Science relationship with the storyline (Portal 2 tie in, anyone?)
I don't think we'll be getting any news on Episode 3 until next year. But from what Valve said, the game will release soon after we get our first news. It's the same thing they tried to do with HL2 by revealing it in E3 2003 and releasing it Q4 2003. Lets just hope it happens this time.
fushi
Member
There's a short summary at GSW of a panel about architecture and games that took place during the Develop conference. HL2's art director Viktor Antonov was also there and mentioned this about the game:
I <3 Memes
Member
Flachmatuch said:
I just don't see it the same way. I haven't seen anything from a console game that gets ported to pc that cant be done on pc. Halo and Halo 2 for instance. Those 2 games are well known for their skill videos, and while they are entertaining as all hell to watch, none of it is something that cant be done better and easier on the pc ports with a M/KB. However i have yet to see anyone doing a true bunnyhop or rocket jump on Half-Life or TF2 with a controller. Maybe a lucky or clumsy rocket jump but not with the same type of ease and precision that it can be done with KB/M . And Bunny hoping with a controller is pretty much out of the question.
I hope you don't think I'm just slamming controller users here because I'm not. It's just that for first and third person shooters M/KB is simply superior in every way except being able to control movement speed.
It's not a matter of where a game genre was born. Just look at racing games. Racing games weren't born on either platform and have had a parallel existence on both pc and consoles, but racing games simply control better with a controller. You can use a keyboard to control a racing game and it will be fine and playable, but in almost no way will it match the control you can get with a consoles controller. A keyboard is really good, but just not quite as good as a controller.
Other genres like fighting games and Madden are probably a better comparison. I've never tried to play a fighting game using a keyboard but I imagine it really sucks to use one. I have played Madden on pc using a KB though and believe me it is not easy. It can be done, but there is nothing about it that wouldn't be easier with a controller.
HurricaneJesus
Member
My first HL2 experience was on the Xbox, and I quit pretty early on. Then I picked up TOB and played through it for reals. I decided to play on Hard to make it the best experience possible. Big mistake. I managed to get through the entire game, but it was really more frustrating than fun. Every enemy takes at least two point-blank shotgun blasts. When I went to play it a second time, I dropped it down to easy, and it actually made the game more enjoyable. I prefer shooters that have more realistic damage. Shooting a guy in the head should kill him.
No real point to this post, just recommending to newcomers that Hard mode isn't fun for a first play.
Edit: I forgot I was tripping on shrooms when I beat HL2 so that might of had something to do with it.
No real point to this post, just recommending to newcomers that Hard mode isn't fun for a first play.
Edit: I forgot I was tripping on shrooms when I beat HL2 so that might of had something to do with it.
Half-Life 2 has some of the best level design I've ever seen in a game.
Episode One ups the ante by providing very detailed levels and amazing scripted events.
Episode Two takes the setting out of the city and into the woods, which provides a refreshing new setting.
It's very interesting to play these games back to back and just see how the game design evolves between games.
Episode One ups the ante by providing very detailed levels and amazing scripted events.
Episode Two takes the setting out of the city and into the woods, which provides a refreshing new setting.
It's very interesting to play these games back to back and just see how the game design evolves between games.
gregor7777
Banned
the walrus said:
I completely disagree. It one of a very few single player FPS games I'll replay, and definitely the only 'story driven' one that comes to mind.
I find more to like about HL2 and the episodes with every playthrough.
HL2 has the best level design I've seen in a FPS, everything is so seamless and the way how everything seems so open but you can still find your way without wandering around too much is truly an achievement, I'm currently replaying it on x360
is a shame that the combat sucks hard, that's why overall I think Halo:CE was a better game
Flachmatuch
Member
I <3 Memes said:
You're absolutely right, and you're still misunderstanding me
And I agree with that, as it's obviously true in terms of efficiency. The point I tried (and failed) to make was that if FPS' had been played with eg. a mouse + an analogue stick from the beginning, we'd probably have tricks and skills different from bunny hopping/rocket jumps etc, not that you could do the same stuff better with a different controller.
Racing games are best played with steering wheels, and the reason for that is that racing games are born from actual racing in cars, and cars are controlled with wheels because of technical (and historical) reasons
I didn't want to say that analogue stick and keyboard control for driving games were equivalent, it's clearly not true - I was strictly only talking about the "sub game" stuff (there probably is a better name though), the tricks (bunny hopping, rocket jumps, snaking etc), which kind of "emerge" and aren't really designed into games, not the basic "designed" controls. These things appeared from particular peculiarities and features of games (like, not dieing immediately from a rocket hehe).I didn't want to say that "mkb is better than controllers" or vice versa. There are statements you can make (like which is more accurate, faster, which has worse health effects etc), but I never wanted to say one is "better" than the other. The only point I wanted to make was that the existence of these high level skills is not really because WASD is somehow "inherently" best suited for FPS games, but because that's how they developed as games, and that includes the choice for controllers. Maybe you could have, for example, pressure sensitive directional keys on your PC keyboard and that might have lead to different techniques.
Sorry for being OT.
innervision961
Member
I remember the first time I got in the buggy, driving through the hills, the wastelands.... Came up to a house with a combine APC parked out front, noticed it was plugged into the house for charging.... There was a small pile of ash in the yard and a burnt carcass, no doubt the homeowner. Out in the middle of nowhere, the unlucky sap who thought he'd pretty much escaped the confines of city 17 and the combine, was brutally murdered by a passing convoy and no one knows about him. It was strangely satisfying to go into the house and dispatch the group of combine that did this to this man.
That is why I love this game... Every piece of geometry in the world tells the story, and the story is brilliant. You just have to look!
I hope all this extra development time on ep3 has went into refining the source engine. As cool as it was when it launched, its definitely seen better days. I hope they fix all the audio bugs, really up the graphical prowess a bit, and do a better job handling the physics load, so you don't have to load a new level every 30 feet.
(all minor gripes, I assure you)
But to anyone who hasn't jumped into the orange box, do so NOW! (and don't skip ep1, maybe the weakest of the bunch, but not bad and not by a long shot)
That is why I love this game... Every piece of geometry in the world tells the story, and the story is brilliant. You just have to look!
I hope all this extra development time on ep3 has went into refining the source engine. As cool as it was when it launched, its definitely seen better days. I hope they fix all the audio bugs, really up the graphical prowess a bit, and do a better job handling the physics load, so you don't have to load a new level every 30 feet.
(all minor gripes, I assure you)
But to anyone who hasn't jumped into the orange box, do so NOW! (and don't skip ep1, maybe the weakest of the bunch, but not bad and not by a long shot)
DietSnapple
Neo Member
I <3 Memes said:
Version 9.5: http://halflife2.filefront.com/file/FakeFactory_Cinematic_Mod_v95;96843
Developer's Filefront page: http://halflife2.filefront.com/developer/FAKEFACTORY;14502
Version 10.0 Beta Preview: http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,...l-comparison-Update-New-darker-look/Practice/
I just started my playthrough with it and I haven't run into any glitches so far. Not sure if I would recommend it for a first timer though.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
People keep pulling the "Episode 3 is going to be as ling as HL2" thing, but I haven't actually seen that quote anywhere. I want to believe it, but could someone post a source?
I didn't really appreciate how great a lot of the game was until I actually finished it, weirdly enough. It wasn't until I stopped and looked back over everything I'd done that I was really wowed by it all.
yeah, same here.Chinner said:
I didn't really appreciate how great a lot of the game was until I actually finished it, weirdly enough. It wasn't until I stopped and looked back over everything I'd done that I was really wowed by it all.
I first Half-Life 2 about a month and a half ago, and though i spoiled some of it by watching my cousin play through Ravenholm 5 years ago, it still felt fresh.
One of the things I liked the best was that the whole game felt like a cohesive adventure. So many other games have you finish a level, watch a cutscene, then a loading screen, and finally drop you into an entirely new area. But in Half-life 2, I actually felt like I traversed through the grand, realised world by myself (though not always alone).
There were two points that truly surprised me. One was in the beginning where the house was raided by Civil Protection. When they said they were in the house I was like "Oh dang, I better get the heck out of here." And I ran for the roof with a big grin on my face, not because I was shooting something like an action hero, but because it felt so immersive and fresh that I was literally scared to run into some CP.
I'd tell about my second point, however, I feel this is already too long as it is. But hey, I was Late to the Party.
One of the things I liked the best was that the whole game felt like a cohesive adventure. So many other games have you finish a level, watch a cutscene, then a loading screen, and finally drop you into an entirely new area. But in Half-life 2, I actually felt like I traversed through the grand, realised world by myself (though not always alone).
There were two points that truly surprised me. One was in the beginning where the house was raided by Civil Protection. When they said they were in the house I was like "Oh dang, I better get the heck out of here." And I ran for the roof with a big grin on my face, not because I was shooting something like an action hero, but because it felt so immersive and fresh that I was literally scared to run into some CP.
I'd tell about my second point, however, I feel this is already too long as it is. But hey, I was Late to the Party.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
the fact that a game released in 2004, and is actually kind of dated from a visual standpoint, is a game that is constantly being played and loved by new people for the first time in 2009 speaks volumes. It was way ahead of its time in 04, and even now, in 09, it is still ahead of its time.
including it in The Orange Box was one of the smartest moves Valve ever decided upon. I wouldn't have played it had it not been for that.
including it in The Orange Box was one of the smartest moves Valve ever decided upon. I wouldn't have played it had it not been for that.
Jaded Alyx
Member
I love you guys.
I love Half-Life 2 threads.
I agree with you, Rez, I think it's still ahead of its time. It's kind of depressing how so many games ignore the advances it has made (in physics, in narrative coherency, in world creation, characters, rigorous testing, etc). There are too many games that aim to be toys and not enough that aim to be adventures.
I can't wait to start the Half-Life saga playthrough thread leading up to Episode Three. It will be most awesome.
I agree with you, Rez, I think it's still ahead of its time. It's kind of depressing how so many games ignore the advances it has made (in physics, in narrative coherency, in world creation, characters, rigorous testing, etc). There are too many games that aim to be toys and not enough that aim to be adventures.
I can't wait to start the Half-Life saga playthrough thread leading up to Episode Three. It will be most awesome.