Half Life 2 anticipation

Anyone else looking forward to this game as much as I am? http://www.sierra.com/product.do?gamePlatformId=470

6 years of waiting comes to an end on Tuesday.

[ Edited by: sinner on 2004-11-12 16:46 ]

I'm too excited waiting for Sid Meiers "Pirates"!!!! ( Out Nov 21) I've been waiting since oh....about 1991 for a new version of that game! Argh!!!

I'm getting a new PC to learn Maya & 3-D Studio Max - I'm told this is one of the titles I should pay attention to....

Yep, definitely pay attention to this title if youre into 3d modeling. You might also want to take a look at Doom3 which was released a few months ago, both of these game engines represent the current state of the art in 3d game engine technology.

Only 14 hours remain! :D

Aquaorama: Pirates went gold yesterday and should be in stores on the 22nd :D

OK - my new Alienware PC arrived last night - do I need to picj up a joystick & speakers before I buy this game? Or is the mouse & keyboard OK for it....?

PC video game newbie here!

Alienware. Excellent choice! Don't know about a joystick but you definitely want speakers. If you can, send the line out from your computer's sound card to your stereo.

First Person Shooters (FPS) like Doom and HL just use a mouse/keyboard. But definitely get speakers if you can't hook up to a stereo. And don't be cheap - spend at least $80 or more and get a good set with a small subwoofer. There are a few good ones for around $90 - they're worth it.

Thanks Richard!
I haven't even opened the box yet.... Wen't to the L.A. chapter Siggraph monthly meeting last night. The Henson Creature Shop was there demonstrating real time CG characters controlled by puppeteers! Pretty awesome stuff. They were completely interacting with the audience in real time...almost flawless stuff...
Sorry - I don't have your CD yet - will try & get it out next week...

Under no circumstances should FPS games EVER be played with a joystick. Doing so would be blasphemy. Mouse/keyboard 4ever.

OK - I just ordered it. Then I read something about problems with 'registering with Steam'???? I'm on a 56K dial-up at home - am I gonna have problems now...?

*On 2004-11-17 11:37, Tiki-bot wrote:*And don't be cheap - spend at least $80 or more and get a good set with a small subwoofer. There are a few good ones for around $90 - they're worth it.

Got any links you can suggest?

Take a look/listen to the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 system. A bit more than $90 but worth it. These were Maximum PC's pick for quite some time.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000062VUO/qid=1100750113/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl147/104-8538583-6674354?v=glance&s=pc&n=507846

oh, chris...

you made the nestea plunge! bravisimo!

only problem is going to be the 7 inch knot on your head from the wife's rolling pin when you never spend any time with her!

you've taken your first, bold step into a very time consuming world...

the guys in charge of the game i'm workin on worked on half life2. they're very proud..its a great game.

you and the rolling pin!

On 2004-11-17 18:48, Tangaroa wrote:
OK - I just ordered it. Then I read something about problems with 'registering with Steam'???? I'm on a 56K dial-up at home - am I gonna have problems now...?

The steam authentication can take a little while, then you've got to download the game...so its gonna be awhile.

I have to download the game??? But I thought when I bought it, it came on the discs?

Man - I feel like such a retarded newbie here - but surely there are people out there who have a PC that don't use the net... Doesn't make sense to me...

On 2004-11-18 11:29, Tangaroa wrote:
I have to download the game??? But I thought when I bought it, it came on the discs?

Man - I feel like such a retarded newbie here - but surely there are people out there who have a PC that don't use the net... Doesn't make sense to me...

My mistake, I thought you had purchased the game via steam. If you bought it in a store on discs, you do NOT need to download it, but you will still need to use steam in order to authenticate the game.

I knew this Steam auth thing was going to bite them in the ass. Seen a ton of complaints about it already. You REALLY need to get DSL and ditch the dial-up, if only for your sanity. :wink:

This is one reason why developing PC games was such a pain in the ass. Sure, all that processor power is great and the graphics can look amazing, but the varied resolutions, non-standardization of hardware and copy protection issues made things really difficult. Consoles all the way, baby! You never have to worry if a console game will load, and most have backward compatibility and will play earlier versions of its games. I never even touch pc games anymore and most game development in for consoles. As great as HL2 looks, there's little innovation in the actual gameplay. An FPS is an FPS. It's fun if you're into LAN play (which you can't do via dial-up), but beyond that...ehh. It doesn't matter how good a game looks if you're bored by its gameplay.

For speakers, look at these. I didn't look closely at the specs, but you want to get something with separate volume and/or mixer controls for the subwoofer. It's also very useful to have a headphone jack on one of the small satellite speakers. It's a hassle to get at the headphone jack on the back of my machine on the floor.

Low end speakers:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1087341320444&skuId=6744428&type=product

Mid:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1055388013931&skuId=5608586&type=product

High:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051384267922&skuId=4148283&type=product

Thanks for all the advice everyone (I'm picking up an X Box too Richard - so I can see all the Oddworld stuff) - we'll see how it goes next week when I get all set up!

No new innovations in gameplay? Have you played the game? And have you gotten the gravity gun? I'm guessing no on both of those.

Well, by "innovation" I mean fundamental or revolutionary design changes. Adding a new weapon or effect is not an innovation. These items don't change the basic architecture of the game. FPS games have been around for quite a while and the new ones differ very little in their underlying architecture from the old ones. No amount of pretty scenery, realistic physics or cool (even if wildly imaginary) weapons will change the fact that you are still just running around shooting things. This doesn't mean these games aren't fun and/or addictive.

If I could easily name something that would qualify as a true innovation, I wouldn't be here discussing the point - I'd be building it and making a mint! Gamers are dying for a new experience in interactivity, a new type of game experience they haven't had before, and publishers are dying to sell it to them. But it's very difficult to come up with those new ideas and hugely expensive to build them, so instead they build upon the same old ideas by creating new scenarios, effects, and hopefully emotional experiences for gamers to enjoy.

I don't mean to disparage any type of game - I'm not. Old game architecture can be put to very good use with the right mixture of art, mission design, programming and tuning - it's done all the time! Hell, I do it for a living! These elements can affect your playing experience greatly, but it doesn't change the fact that they are just embellishment of an old idea.

While the addition of physics or a new weapon is not revolutionary, I would certainly call them innovative.
While nothing in HL2 could really be classified as revolutionary (no need to reinvent the wheel, really), what is there is just so polished and perfectly executed. Big kudos to Valve.
You tried it yet Tangaroa?

I ordered it the other day - it shipped today, so possibly by tomorrow I'll have it.

Of course - I haven't even had time to take my Alienware out of the box yet!
No speakers yet either.... I gotta get on the stick here.

You played it yet Tangaroa? Opinions? Thoughts?

Arrrrrgh - I spent 2 hours on the phone (with India I believe) dealing with alienware tech support trying to connect to the internet.
I just got it to connect before work & had to jump in the shower - but I'm hoping to install & register it online tonight.
So - a full report after Thanksgiving!

The Xbox - well - I was easily able to plug it in & play it right away. (I'm PC challenged - what can I say)

OK - well.....
Long story short (& after 2 days of troubleshooting & instaling a video driver update for my NEW PC) - Half-Life 2 is just about the most awesome game I've ever played! A totally immersive environment, objects responding to gravity & ease in navigation - well, I love it. I mean - yeah it's obvious that you are being driven in certain directions, but it feels like you are making these discoveries yourself, exploring & wondering through the environment. I haven't gottten very far yet (just making my way through the Route Kanal section).

But it's just awesome.

Now I gotta force myself to not look up spoilers & solutions on-line!

Our Maya/3-D guy is coming over to install Maya next week - I can't wait to get started building stuff....!

"Oh mystic powers - hear my call...
From my limbs, let new life fall..."
http://www.christophermerritt.com

[ Edited by: Tangaroa on 2004-11-29 11:05 ]

That pretty much sums up my feelings as well. The game is linear, but I never felt forced into going that one direction. The pacing and the scripted sequences are just perfect as well.
My only gripes are the relative lack of weapons, and I had hoped to see alot more of the Barney and Dog characters. But other than that, this one replaces Half Life 1 as my favorite game.

Still working my way through the Route Kanal - those Head-Crab things are friggin horrible.....

Ooops- they are called Barnicles - but the Head-crabs are nasty looking too....

Heheheh, it only gets better. I'm playing through for my second time now and they just released the deathmatch component day before yesterday. Update steam to get it.

is the deathmatch component a live on the net player only thing?

On 2004-12-02 17:04, Tangaroa wrote:
is the deathmatch component a live on the net player only thing?

Yep, deathmatch is multiplayer only. Currently there are only 2 official maps and 2 gametypes (deathmatch and team deathmach), but as the SDK has been released, more maps and modifications should start popping up very soon.

I think I'm about 3/4 of the way through 'We don't go to Ravenholm...' - just finished the fight through the graveyard with the priest. Man - the beginning of that level scared the crap outta me...

On 2004-12-14 18:32, Tangaroa wrote:
I think I'm about 3/4 of the way through 'We don't go to Ravenholm...' - just finished the fight through the graveyard with the priest. Man - the beginning of that level scared the crap outta me...

You've still got quite a ways to go, you're more like 40-45% of the way the game. Entanglement, Sandtraps, Nova Prospekt...oh my!

If you want to DM sometime, add my user name, _sinner to your friends list.

Thanks for the invite - but I'm so paranoid about viruses, I'm gonna keep the Alienware machine off the net unless I absolutely have to download a patch or something. I'll keep the surfing to my Mac!

Just finished Ravenholm & ended up at the Dune Buggy. I decided to do a little exploring on the beach first - big mistake!

Heheheh, yep. Be careful around houses that have...strange markings :D

Back at it today. Taking down that hover-copter thingy while jumping from girder to girder on that bridge was pretty wild...! Now driving through the headcrab infested tunnels......Wheee-ew! It just keeps on going!

Just wait til you get to Nova Prospekt, its like something out of a movie :D

Finally made it to Nova Prospekt this morning - I was bummed to ditch my Ant Lion army though!!!! That was very cool "siccing" them on Combine Cops....

Hey guys--

I just bought a PS2 and a dance mat so I can play DDR, and I'd like to get some other games eventually. What PS2 games do you like and why?

(This is my first game console since the Atari 2600!)

thanks!

--newbie cindy

Errrr - don't have a PS2... Sorry!

Hi Cyn. Congratulations - you've just taken your fisrt step into a larger world.....or a really lazy one filled with couches and junkfood.

I just picked up a game yesterday I've been reading a lot about called Katamari Damacy. It's pretty addictive and completely incomprehensible in that Japanese game kinda way. The object is to roll a ball around and make stuff stick to it. You have to create ever-bigger junk balls (eventually made with buildings and even continents) and launch them into space to replace the stars that someone has knocked down. Like I said, incomprehensible. Graphics aren't great, but the wacky/weird bloopy soundtrack is, and the gameplay is inventive, even if the controls are a little counter-intuitive. Plus, it's only $20. It's about as far as you can get from American style games, which are starting to all look and play alike.

Probably my favorite games from the past couple years are the Ratchet & Clank games. They are nearly flawless in design, tuning and art and animation. They are sort of the modern version of "side-scrollers" of the old days, but are now luscious 3D rendered worlds where you can go practically anywhere you want. Great voice acting and excellent character designs, too. I think you can pick up the first one for around $20.

Another game I liked was SSX 3, the snowboard racing & stunt game. If that sort of thing interests you, it's definitely worth the money. The graphics and play-tuning are outstanding.

Of course, if you can stomach the gruesome violence and intensity, all of the Grand Theft Auto games are great. They are perfect examples of how design and play-tuning can send a game go over the top, even if it doesn't have the best graphics out there. Good violent, perverted fun.

Hope this helps.

On 2005-01-03 16:32, Tiki-bot wrote:
Hi Cyn. Congratulations - you've just taken your fisrt step into a larger world.....or a really lazy one filled with couches and junkfood.

A truer statement never uttered....

On 2005-01-03 16:32, Tiki-bot wrote:
Hi Cyn. Congratulations - you've just taken your fisrt step into a larger world.....or a really lazy one filled with couches and junkfood.

I've been doing the "couches and junkfood" part for years! :D