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LTTP: Half -Life 2
- Thread starter Relix
- Start date
That might have something to do with the pacing, both Episode One and Two were a lot tighter paced. Probably has a lot to do with their lengths, but also probably a lot to do with Valve's improvements to its design. I really dig how you're less of a one-man army and more a pivotal piece to a large resistance. The more cooperative focus in the episodes is a welcome change in my opinion.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
I fucking love the hospital scene in Episode One. When the music kicks in and you and Alyx start tearing everything up with shotguns.
So good.
So good.
Yeah, that's the other thing I really love about Half-Life 2. The music is not only great, but they use it sparingly so that it really packs a punch when it needs to. The part in Episode Two
, the music kicks in as a shitload of Combines and Hunters swarm the area. First thing I did was just burst from the room and sprint down the hallway, gunning down two Combines that had decided to get in my way. So awesome.
after the combine advisor leaves the shed area on the way to White Forest
Rez said:
"What Kind of Hospital is This" and "Sector Sweep", respectively. Two of my favorite pieces of music.AniHawk said:
There's something to be said for "Vortal Combat" as well, it really makes an awesome battle even better.
I agree with you AniHawk on the careful use of music. Silence can be an important tool in creating atmosphere in its own right, and too much music wallpapers the ears and makes the whole soundtrack less poignant.
I played a recent mod set in the Half-Life 2 universe that didn't understand this principle at all. Over the space of ten minutes, I heard 3 to 4 highly hectic and iconic pieces of HL2 music (all the three I mention above included). It was disastrous and incredibly destructive to any sense of atmosphere and pacing.
Jaded Alyx
Member
Rez said:
theignoramus
Member
I literally could not continue playing Ravenholm the other week. I've beaten HL2 vanilla probably a half dozen times, just not with a decent 5.1 setup, so Ravenholm was like a new, more sinister experience. The black headcrab throwing zombies are fucking terrifying. It's not so much the sight of them, but the horrible, laboured breathing noises they make and the fact that the host might be self aware. Ugh.
But it's still the sharpest, coolest fps ever made. I've replayed the first sections countless times and I still get a hair-raising thrill running through the sewers in City 17. Fighting through Nova Prospekt. Fighting through the Citadel.
But it's still the sharpest, coolest fps ever made. I've replayed the first sections countless times and I still get a hair-raising thrill running through the sewers in City 17. Fighting through Nova Prospekt. Fighting through the Citadel.
The Librarian
Banned
Definitely agree on Sector Sweep: my favorite piece of Half-Life music.Botolf said:
Baraka in the White House
2-Terms of Kombat
I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy Half Life 2, but there is always this small part of me that was a little disappointed with the direction the game went as far as focusing almost exclusively on the Combine and the whole freedom fighter motif instead of Xen and all the fucked up interdimensional aliens.
I didn't think the Combine were particularly interesting enemies, especially not compared to some of the crap you fight in the first game. After Half Life I figured if any alien race would try to take over Earth it would have been those alien grunt guys.
I didn't think the Combine were particularly interesting enemies, especially not compared to some of the crap you fight in the first game. After Half Life I figured if any alien race would try to take over Earth it would have been those alien grunt guys.
What I really like about it is how it subtly ties in different themes at different moments. At one point, you hear a piece of the mysterious song surrounding the larval Advisors, first heard in the Citadel in Episode One. That is soon followed by a distorted, almost wild sounding iteration on the song's main theme, it seems to evoke the wilderness that Freeman, Alyx, and now the fresh-hatched Advisors find themselves in.Dax01 said:
I only played the first hour or so of HL1, but I completed HL2, Ep1, and Ep2.
I have no real idea of the storyline, but here's what I can figure out:
Gordon Freeman is a government scientist who opened/saw being opened the door to some other alien dimension/wormhole in HL1. For some reason, the government soldiers were trying to kill him in that game, don't know why.
In HL2, the city where he lives is full of soldiers wearing gas-masks who speak with muffled voices and shoot people. They're led by a guy with a white beard who talks on big tv screens around the city. Gordon joins a resistance group and he goes around the town to various places (eg town centre, graveyard area, train station, car parks, etc) killing as many of them as he can. There is a man in a black suit who turns up now and again and who is presumably the leader of the aliens or working for them or something. There are various little alien headcrabs walking around. Alyx is your mate from the resistance who fights with you a lot of the time. Ep1 and Ep2 are essentially more of the same, except in Ep2 you tend to go around the outskirts of the town because you took a train ride out.
Now, can someone fill in the gaps? I swear I was concentrating during every cut-scene, but I don't remember what any of them said in it.
I have no real idea of the storyline, but here's what I can figure out:
Gordon Freeman is a government scientist who opened/saw being opened the door to some other alien dimension/wormhole in HL1. For some reason, the government soldiers were trying to kill him in that game, don't know why.
In HL2, the city where he lives is full of soldiers wearing gas-masks who speak with muffled voices and shoot people. They're led by a guy with a white beard who talks on big tv screens around the city. Gordon joins a resistance group and he goes around the town to various places (eg town centre, graveyard area, train station, car parks, etc) killing as many of them as he can. There is a man in a black suit who turns up now and again and who is presumably the leader of the aliens or working for them or something. There are various little alien headcrabs walking around. Alyx is your mate from the resistance who fights with you a lot of the time. Ep1 and Ep2 are essentially more of the same, except in Ep2 you tend to go around the outskirts of the town because you took a train ride out.
Now, can someone fill in the gaps? I swear I was concentrating during every cut-scene, but I don't remember what any of them said in it.
Just hearing the sound those creatures make still gives me the creeps. It is one of those few enemies in a video game who has been able to do that to me. The sound, in addition to the fact that they reduce your health bar to 1 (albeit your suit "generates" health after a while) definitely makes it one of the most effective enemies I've met in a shooter. Brrr.theignoramus said:
Also, I can't imagine how crazy Ravenholm must be with a decent 5.1 setup. Woah.
Tonay said:
From what I can gather, Half-Life 1 is pretty much Gordon opening a portal to another dimension, and the government coverup that follows (well, they at least try). At the very end, you kill the big bad, but it turns out the Vortigaunts (the villainous aliens from Half-Life) were just pawns in a bigger war, and the G-man, the guy in the suit with the briefcase, "hires" Gordon. Gordon's put into stasis, the end.
About 20 years or so later, Gordon's reactivated by the G-man and since Half-Life, the entire world's been taken over by the Combine (the alien hybrids with the gas masks). Dr. Breen is a traitor to humanity, and Gordon's boss from Black Mesa (Half-Life 1). And from there, it's pretty straightforward. By the end of Episode Two, the portal to Earth is finally closed, but unfortunately, the Combine know everything Eli knew.
EDIT: Eh, looks like I got some stuff mixed up about Half-Life 1, mainly about the Vortigaunts. Just read the timeline.
The Librarian
Banned
Didn't know Gordon was in stasis for twenty years. Damn.
The Librarian
Banned
Wouldn't the Vortigaunts be angry with Gordon for killing their leader?
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
Dax01 said:
He freed them from their enslavement. Hence the Free Man.
They're grateful to Freeman for freeing them, and they would appear to be committed to the cause of rebellion against the Combine. But at the same time, they don't forget their dead.Dax01 said:
The Vortigaunts talk about these things in Half-Life 2, especially the so-called "All Knowing Vortigaunt".
http://www.freewebs.com/all-knowing-vortigaunt/quotes.htm
- "We cannot forget those whose cords you cut. Forgiveness is not ours to bestow."
- "Unity of purpose, the shattering of common shackles, a single road we tread."
- "Your song we sing and shall sing for eternity. No matter the consequences of this struggle."
- "You have brought us grief and jubilation beyond measure."
- "We are there still, in observance of your final stroke."
- "While our own lay scattered at your feet, you severed the vortal cord that bound the Nihilanth to life, and to us."
- "That sharp spur of hope has not dulled to this day. For once the lesser master lay defeated, we knew the greater must also fall in time."
- "With you beside us, a talisman of victory, the day of freedom draws nigh."
- "How often have we slipped our yoke, only to find it choking us again."
- "We take our stand beside you, here, upon this miserable rock."
The Librarian
Banned
That timeline doesn't seem to say anything about Nihilianth being an oppressor to the Vortigaunts. It just says that it's their "leader."Hasphat6462 said:
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
Dax01 said:
I seem to remember the Vorts had collars on their necks and wrists in HL1. Not sure though, it's been quite a while since I last played it.
EDIT: Just consulted the all knowing YouTube. They had green collars. But poor texture res means that for all we know, the Vorts loved their bling. :lol
For many ages it would have been, but the Nihilanth ultimately was a taskmaster and the Vortigaunts slaves. The Vorts were fitted with restrictive braces on their arms and necks and forced into battle with little option to do otherwise. In Half-Life 1, they could purposely avoid attacking Freeman if there were no alien supervisors to enforce orders, but in most cases they had no choice but to fight. The Vortigaunts were more than happy to be rid of the Nihilanth in the end.Dax01 said:
The grunts were just that, grunts. From a story standpoint, the Combine had been after the Vortigaunts, but the resonance cascade failure and Gordon's subsequent destruction of the Nihilanth redirected their attention somewhat. From a gameplay standpoint, Valve just wanted the sequel to be larger and more epic in scope, and it's hard to get that feeling when the opposition consists mostly of wildlife, even creepy alien wildlife.DOO13ER said:
The various Vortigaunt quotes just above are the clearest explanation about just what the relationship was. As clear as Vortigaunts ever are, anyway. By and large they seem pleased about your victory, not to mention the incessant praise they shower you with wherever you go.Dax01 said:
The Librarian
Banned
Thanks (as well as hasphat).Botolf said:
I have 90 of the 99 achievements in The Orange Box. Getting all of the achievements for HL2 + episodes was so much. Wish there were more.:lol
I've been thinking of playing through HL2 and the episodes again lately, but I've been debating whether to buy the OB for the PS3 or not.
If not, I'd be playing the OB on Windows 7 run via Bootcamp on my 2007 iMac - so it has an ATI mobility 9600 XT or something like that, I don't know, it's a 24" imac. I don't remember it being horrible, but I can't run it at the native resolution of the display and get decent framerates and the additional effects in the episodes have to be turned off in order to get decent framerates.
I was also considering the PS3 version simply because I could then run it through my sound system. Anyone have an opinion on which one to do?
If not, I'd be playing the OB on Windows 7 run via Bootcamp on my 2007 iMac - so it has an ATI mobility 9600 XT or something like that, I don't know, it's a 24" imac. I don't remember it being horrible, but I can't run it at the native resolution of the display and get decent framerates and the additional effects in the episodes have to be turned off in order to get decent framerates.
I was also considering the PS3 version simply because I could then run it through my sound system. Anyone have an opinion on which one to do?
That timeline site is quite good.
It states that the story is "...being told in a method far different from the way normal stories and games are told, in a very passive nature. It's up to you, the player, to piece together the information and make conclusions on it. Inherent in these games is the fact that Gordon Freeman simply isn't supposed to know what's going on all the time; he's being kept in the dark for a reason. If you're diligent enough however, it's easy to put together a pretty accurate account of what exactly is going on around the game, and what events preceded them."
This is why none of it was going in, because I wasn't trying to figure out what was going on. I played the game as a Gordon who doesn't really care too much about the intricacies of the plot, who just wants to do the right thing, and keep himself alive long enough to see how things turn out. The fact that he plays the game as a mute is finally starting to make sense to me now. Gordon is the player, and pays as much or as little attention to the plot as the player does.
It states that the story is "...being told in a method far different from the way normal stories and games are told, in a very passive nature. It's up to you, the player, to piece together the information and make conclusions on it. Inherent in these games is the fact that Gordon Freeman simply isn't supposed to know what's going on all the time; he's being kept in the dark for a reason. If you're diligent enough however, it's easy to put together a pretty accurate account of what exactly is going on around the game, and what events preceded them."
This is why none of it was going in, because I wasn't trying to figure out what was going on. I played the game as a Gordon who doesn't really care too much about the intricacies of the plot, who just wants to do the right thing, and keep himself alive long enough to see how things turn out. The fact that he plays the game as a mute is finally starting to make sense to me now. Gordon is the player, and pays as much or as little attention to the plot as the player does.
I'd like to see most of those patched in to HL2 and Episode One for PC, we only have achievements for Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.Dax01 said:
That "One Free Bullet" achievement and the achievement for finishing Ravenholm using only the gravity gun both sound like a lot of fun.
this is a clear timeline of the saga and if i recall it explains your query aboveDax01 said:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/halflifestory/timeline.htm
mysticwhip
Banned
Didn't think HL2 was all that great besides the Ravenholm section.
Ep 2 was great though.
Ep 2 was great though.
Graphics Horse
Member
Hasphat6462 said:
Yup, there's a few collared ones in HL2 also
City 17 station:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3586/3393807901_f0bb7a5dde.jpg?v=0
Nova Prospekt:
http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/File:Np_vort_torture.jpg
brain_stew
Member
TheExodu5 said:
Them create one.
All the variables that control this are free for you to tweak. The default config included with the Cinematic mod, would be a good place to start. Bullets are much more deadly and explosions have a larger blast radius for starters.
Rez said:
While Episode 1 is my least favorite of the three, this is my favorite part of the entire series. It was just so much fun to play. When Alyx was all like "No medical supplies, but I got a shotgun", and the epic music played, I knew this was gonna be great. I switched to the shotgun, and me and Alyx tag-teamed every freaking zombie and combine like we owned that hospital.
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
I've been itching to replay both HL2 and the two episodes for a while now. I've started replaying the game several times but I always stop playing after a while since I kinda dislike Ravenholm and those annoying little flying things in the sewers early in the game.
Either way, I started playing today and I've made it past Ravenholm now!
Either way, I started playing today and I've made it past Ravenholm now!
Chris Murphy
Member
ItsInMyVeins said:
I feel the exact same way. As soon as I get past those parts though it's smooth sailing. Such an amazing game.
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
heinsmit said:
I like Ep 2 a lot, although I think that the fight near the end against those huge walkers is slightly too long. On the other hand; I thought Ep1 was somewhat of a disappointment. Just when it starts to get really good it ends.
Half Life 2 signified the changing of hardware generations for me. Like Mario64 before it, the first time I played I really felt like 'now THIS is something new'.
The combined the scope of the levels and the gigantic leap forward in using physics to drive gameplay really made it a cut above any game I'd played before (from an interaction/technical standpoint.) It also made great strides in telling a narrative without taking the player out of the driver's seat for a second.
The only game since that gave me a feeling of 'this is new', is Crysis. But not many people (including myself) have REALLY played Crysis (DX10, 1920x1080, max AA, 60fps stapled, etc.), so it's hard for me to know.
Maybe Rage will be that 'next game'.
The combined the scope of the levels and the gigantic leap forward in using physics to drive gameplay really made it a cut above any game I'd played before (from an interaction/technical standpoint.) It also made great strides in telling a narrative without taking the player out of the driver's seat for a second.
The only game since that gave me a feeling of 'this is new', is Crysis. But not many people (including myself) have REALLY played Crysis (DX10, 1920x1080, max AA, 60fps stapled, etc.), so it's hard for me to know.
Maybe Rage will be that 'next game'.
(But then again I thought the same thing about Doom 3 and it was mostly very shiny poop. Do still love id though)
iDoubleSpy
Member
Not sure if this was talked about in pages 2-5, but there is a very incredible mod out there for Half Life 2.
http://www.hlportal.de/?site=files&do=showfile&file_id=1128
http://games.on.net/filelist.php?app=2123&menu=1
here is some pictures for it.
http://www.hlportal.de/?site=files&do=showfile&file_id=1128
http://games.on.net/filelist.php?app=2123&menu=1
here is some pictures for it.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
playing through the original Half-Life for the first time now. I've had it sitting in my Steam account for a while but I always end up putting it to the side because of dated it is by today's standards.
it was tough to start out with because of this, but once I got by Office Complex and got into Blast Pit the game got it hooks into me.
The last thing I did was get a scientist to operate the retinal scanner. I might make a new LTTP when I'm done with it. We'll see if I can be f'ed or not.
If only I wasn't nine or ten when this was released. I'd have loved to have played this back when it was new. I can only imagine how great it would have been.
it was tough to start out with because of this, but once I got by Office Complex and got into Blast Pit the game got it hooks into me.
The last thing I did was get a scientist to operate the retinal scanner. I might make a new LTTP when I'm done with it. We'll see if I can be f'ed or not.
If only I wasn't nine or ten when this was released. I'd have loved to have played this back when it was new. I can only imagine how great it would have been.
