Half-Life 2 (PC)

[nips]

My thoughts went:

Gabe Newell? - Nah. He seems ok on the HL2 forums.
Doug Lombardi? - Maybe, although I have no frame fo reference!
Do I know anyother high profile names? - No! ****!

Not a ****ing clue, that was probably going out to those who know the author and the website well. He's probably bitched about him a lot on the site or summit!

Cut content is bollocks! Perhaps we'll see a patch with it all on very soon after or something... *clutches tightly*

[Adam]

Hmm I just thought Gabe Newell, but I guess if people think he is safe then I doubt it's him.

In other news I read the other day that Team Fortress 2 has been comfirmed as not the multiplayer mode to ship with HL2, so we can expect some other mp mode when the game is launched and TF2 to follow shortly. I'll try find out where I read it and edit this post with the source but I can't remember what site it was on

[Spatial]

After looking around a couple of Half Life sites, the common consensus is that he's hinting at Lombardi - there's some bad blood between them for some reason.

While I've never met Lombardi he strikes me as being a bit shifty. Know thats a bit harsh and judgemental but thats the impression I got.

Guess only Fragmaster will know for sure, but that doesn't stop us all coming to our own conclusions

Nips, I wouldn't worry too much about cut content. They openly admitted that there was loads cut from Half Life before its release, things they didn't have the time / technology to implement. The game turned out to be great anyway.

It happens in games development all the time ( the same with movies and stuff ). Things change, ideas that once seemed great lose their appeal and get cut out etc.

Doesn't seem a big deal as yet.

However if I get the game and find it's just one level cos they've cut the rest out I'll be really pissed off

[nips]

Urgh, but imagine how GREAT Half-life could have been if they had more stuff and better technology etc...

...how good could this have been with the extra stuff included.

I'm desperate for this game now!

[Smeghead]

There any release date for this yet? I bought it months ago now (Graphics card) the card will have dissintigrated before it comes out at this rate, its lookin like another Duke Nukem Forever :P

[JammyD]

More new screens(bottom of page): http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=4625

[Spatial]

Just got the new edition of PC Zone and

OMFG !!!!111!!!

Damn it all if it hasn't got me all excited and hyped for HL2 all over again.

New ( impressive ) screens

Gabe says that the delay was caused by the hackers and programming complications / them seriously under estimating how far the game was from completion

Valve also say that an announcement will be made at E3 in a couple of weeks for a definate release date

W00T !!

There's more background to the game, but no real spoilers. I've marked some info below as spoilers for anyone who doesn't want to know anything more about the game

Alledgedly the game is set 10 years after the first. New locations shown include some rural farm locations, and a graveyard where headcrabs have taken over decayed corpses !!

There a brief mention of two characters - a Father Grigory and Dr Breen.

It also explains how the game starts, with you arriving disorientated in City 17 and being witness to the brutal oppression of humans by the Combine

All in all, I am now officially bouncing in my seat for this game again !!!!

[Spatial]

Just checked out those Eurogamer shots

The one of the Combine infront of the chain link fence is brilliant

They're are now officially bad ass IMO



And the tenament buildings in the background of the railway yard shot are so life like

[nips]

Freaking wicked. Everytime I see new shots it makes me realise that I've actually seen very little of the game. I can't wait. I'm currently debating over whether to read the spoiler!

Ok just read it! Cool!

[Adam]

Found this on halflife2.net forums, guys made a summary of alot of stuff which has been said in gaming magazines and I thought it was quite good:



I've posted a summary of the preview and interview elsewhere, guess I can put it up here as well:

Well, after reading the PC Zone preview I have decided to skip on a translation of the PC Gameplay article and focus on a couple of points that are either not in PCZ or are IMO of enough interest to repeat or elaborate on.

NB: Literal translation can sometimes produce awkward results, so I have attempted to convey the 'spirit' rather than the 'letter' of the text at times.

I'll split this in two sections, hands-on preview and Gabe Newell interview.

Preview:

- Even though the reporter has watched the high-res E3 videos numerous times, he is still surprised by the graphical splendour of the HL2 engine.
He mentions the beautiful effect of light falling through a window and creating shadows on the walls of the cramped room he starts in and the wealth of detail on offer even in such a simple environment.

- Valve have attempted to bring some familiarity to the player by retaining some particularities of HL; much (if not all) of the standard keyboard configuration stays the same and a number of player feedback sounds such as the "closed door" warning has also been carried over from HL2's predecessor.

- Facial expression of NPCs is so effective that simpler forms of communication, such as a warning to keep your guard up, can take place even without conversation.

- Especially at the start of the game (when you're unarmed), the player is forced to escape certain potentially hostile situations rather than engage in conflict; this greatly ups the already tense atmosphere.

- The outside locations are wide open and lively, with City 17 being full of birds flying all about, citizens walking by and "scanners" patrolling the area; their main function seems to be to scout for potentially hostile creatures.
Freeman still isn't percieved as such at the start of the game, but as it turns out there is still more than enough reason to be careful; apparently combine soldiers are a bit 'socially challenged' and will give you a good dose of the ol' shock prod if they think you're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong.

- Again, the liveliness of HL2's environments is mentioned; most games offer scripted sequences at set times to enhance the atmosphere, but in HL2 similar non-core gameplay events are everywhere.

- HL2 features a flash-bang type effect; stand too close to a grenade detonation and you'll be disoriented and deaf for a small while.

- The manipulator can be used to cause mass destruction; where the PCZ preview mentions the saw blades as a handy means of decapitation, the PCGP reporter flings a fuel barrel over a group of zombies and watches them burn.

- Valve have attempted to put a higher than usual amount of interactivity into the game, which allows for varied gameplay solutions.
One example is the crane scenario that is also mentioned in PCZ; transporting the buggy to the opposite side of the canal by using the crane arm magnet is a bonus rather than a requirement, simpy knocking the arm against the bridge suffices to bring it down and allow passage.

- The reporter concludes that HL2's strength seems to lie in a combination of factors; apart from the great visuals and exciting action, it also offers a sense of adventure and opportunities for creative problem solving, which add up to what he calls "first-class gameplay".

Interview (comments by Gabe Newell):

- We have rewritten the (multiplayer) source code to prevent cheating and illegal access to customer computers by outside parties.

- HL2 is currently [March 2004 - X-V] pre-alpha, which means that it's core content complete and we're at the tuning stage; tweaking the amount of enemies, weapon impact/strength, number of available health packs and so on.
We're shooting for a release this summer.

- We've decided to stay faithful to the weapon arsenal in HL, for one thing because we want the player to feel familiar with the weapons , but also because we like the variety they offer(ed) and because we prefer quality of quantity in this respect.
We want to keep the alien weapons under wraps as much as possible though, they are too much intertwined with the plot of the game and we don't want to spoil any surprises.

- HL2 will stay faithful to the play tempo of its predecessor, it would be a shame to rush through the game when there's so much to see and especially do.
Of course, there are times when you have to push the pedal to the metal in order to escape certain dangerous situations.

- We've experimented with different player moves, but in the end decided to keep it simple because we felt those moves were more of a distraction than a benefit to the player in HL2.

- What we *do* want to focus the player's attention on is interactivity and AI. We want the player to be stimulated by his/her surroundings; what if I stack those boxes?; would it be possible to enter that APC and drive off?; what is the meaning of that expression on Alyx' face or that of the G-Man?; how will that NPC react when I stop him from entering this room?
That's what it's all about in HL2; let players discover interesting gameplay situations by having them interact with their surroundings like no other game has allowed before.

- We've never seriously contemplated including teamorder functions and complicated menus, because we let the interactivity of the AI and the environment react to the actions of the player.
An "e" [= "use" - X-V] button suffices, because the AI will react more to the intention than the position of the player.
Let's say you're walking towards a closed door; a friendly NPC could be aware of a threat that lies beyond and will therefore take up position to be able to give you cover.
Alternatively, the NPC could offer advice on how to handle, now that he or she knows the intent of the player.
On the other side of the door, the enemy AI can also react to the situation that evolves when the door swings open; is the player alone?; what are my chances against multiple targets?; is there an opportunity to call for backup?
In the ideal situation, even the "e" button would not be necessary.
Consider it an extra means of communication or assistance for the player.
The AI never ceases to keep notice of the player's actions and reacts appropriately without the need for specific orders.

- STEAM will be in the background during play, doing all kinds of complicated things with your PC.
Not with the intent to 'snoop', it won't even affect performance, but strictly to eliminate foul play.
We are fully aware that cheating can ruin gameplay and we want to keep that from happening at all costs.
Whoever gets caught cheating will be prevented from playing the game online for a while; repeat offenders will be banned for six months and the truly incurable cases could even risk a permanent ban.
These are some harsh measures, but we want to keep the game enjoyable for those who play by the rules.
The only way for us to enforce this at the moment is to have STEAM access the PC of the online player; the benefit being that we can monitor online play sessions better and continually implement updates and improvements.

http://halflife2.net/

[Adam]

Anyone interested in the latest 'tour of Valve's offices' should check this out.

[Spatial]

The photo's of that white board have got everyone jumping on the release date topic again



The scribblings look a little bit like dates, and seem to be going along in 7 day intervals.

If thats true, and by some clever deciphering by various people using multiple photos from the students who went to Valve, it would seem that HL2 may be all set for June or July



Its amazing the hornets nest that one picture can disturb !

[Spatial]

Valve have now official released the high res videos of Coastline and Strider

Unfortunately its Torrent only at the moment and I can never get that ****ing program to work properly

ft:

[Spatial]

The offical site has now been launched over at

http://www.half-life2.com

There's nothing new on there, and I think the trailer is last years E3 one (though I haven't checked yet ), but all this means we're making quiet and steady progress towards seeing this game

[ascender]

Fileplanet are hosting a 600Mb 20-odd minute capture of the E3 presentations by Valve.

It is simply stunning and I can't recommend it highly enough. Get over there now, get in line and report back. Download speed is rapid from their non-subscriber servers although obviously you have to wait a wee bit.

http://www.fileplanet.com/files/140000/140589.shtml