LOS ANGELES (October 18, 2004) Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today announced that Half-Life® 2, the sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed PC titles in gaming history, will ship to retail outlets around the world in November. The Company confirmed that Half-Life 2, developed by Valve Software, has gone gold with a planned retail street date of November 16, 2004. The countdown to the highly anticipated retail street date has begun around the world, as VU Games completes plans to ship localized versions of Half-Life 2 simultaneously in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai and Japanese.
“Half-Life 2 has surpassed our expectations in every sense – its high-quality graphics, ground-breaking physics and immersive first-person shooter gameplay set a new standard for PC action games,” said Bruce Hack, CEO of VU Games. “Half-Life 2 will go down as one of the best-selling PC titles, and we are thrilled to deliver this ground-breaking title to the worldwide gaming community this fall.”
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I'm more interested in this than Doom 3 and even more interested in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines which uses HL2's Source engine for an FPS/RPG hybrid.
Posts: 559 | From: Blaine, MN | Registered: Oct 2000
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Yeah, I can't wait for the physics of the game, I guess they are incredible. I am very close to just ordering the bronze version through steam and playing CS:Source for the next month. I was just afraid that HL2 would get pushed back again and I would be out the $45 for however long. Think of all the people last year that pre-ordered from stores etc - they are fucked and don't get CS:source until the release...
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I'm now reading that HL2 will REQUIRE an Internet connection to register it before you can play - even for single player! This is probably a deal breaker for me as I don't even have a modem hooked up to my PC. Stupid fuckers, this makes it MORE likely that I'll end up with a "fixed" copy than if they didn't do anything for copy protection.
Posts: 559 | From: Blaine, MN | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
They did the same thing with CS1.6 in a LAN environment. You had to be connected to the internet to play. Eventully, they backed off and allowed LAN only game play.
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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Special Note: If a game says "100%" but "Not Ready" for offline play, it may be because the purchase process for that game (cd-key or cc purchase transaction) has not yet completed. You need to wait for that to complete before playing offline.
Two Scenarios: 1. My friend has no Internet connection, how can he set things up so he can play offline?
2. I want to be able to play at a LAN party and they won't have an internet connection there, how can we all play offline?
Answer: There are several ways to do this that will work for players without Internet access as well as for LAN Parties where there won't be internet access.
Note: You have to be online somewhere at least once to perform all of the following steps.
The first step here is to perform the latest update and capture it. This is very important to make sure you get the latest content and bug fixes. Everyone that will be participating at the LAN event must have the latest update!
Easiest way Bring the computer that will be playing offline to an available internet connection at a friend's house, school or perhaps business. Log into the account and do all the updates, make sure it all works.
Then "exit" (do not log out!) from Steam, go to the Steam folder and make a copy of the clientregistry.blob file (just in case). Write-protect the copy (mark it Read/Only).
Physically unplug the computer from the internet, start up Steam and let it fall back into offline mode. Make sure the computer will play both Listenserver (LAN), client and the single player ok, then exit from Steam again.
WIN98 If this is a WIN98 computer, it will act like it's stuck updating and not logging in, JUST WAIT! It will take about 90 seconds for it to finally figure out that there isn't an active internet connection then it will prompt you to retry or go into offline mode.
The computer is now ready to play offline at home unless he accidentally logs out ...
If he does this he won't be able to play unless he verifies online again >> or << exits from Steam, then copies the copy of the clientregistry.blob file back which will restore his offline play.
NOTE: MAKE SURE THE ACTIVE ClientRegistry.blob FILE IS NOT WRITE PROTECTED!
It certainly wouldn't hurt to burn a CD of the working offline installation for him.
Next Easiest way Do all the above on a different computer, IE: install Steam, log into his account, do all the updates, exit from Steam, make the copy of the Clientregistry.blob file, start up and let it fall back into offline mode, make sure it all works, then exit again.
Then burn a CD of the install and take the CD to the remote computer and copy the install there.
Very Important! Make sure the files are placed on the exact same Disk and Path!
LAN Party Setup: Clients All clients that are going to play on the LAN should have unique Steam Accounts. You might also have to assign unique clientports to each computer if they are going to play online as well as offline. Please refer to this FAQ for help in configuring multiple clients behind a router.
Most home DLS and cable connections will only be able to support 6 or 8 players on a 128K uplink and 12 to 16 players on a 256K uplink, assuming that they are using a reasonable rate (7500) and cl_cmdrate (30) settings. You might have to lower the cl_cmdrate to 20.
The Server The first step is to decide if the server is going to be a Listen Server or a Dedicated Server.
If this is a small party (4 players or less) just for fun, then a Listen server will probably be the easiest way to host a quick party, but it's important to remember that the player who's computer is running the Server has an advantage over all the other players.
If there are going to be more players, or if the players are more serious players and want a level playing field, then a Dedicated Server is the best way to go, and assigning a computer to run only the Dedicated Server (no clients) is the very best.
If this is for a Stand-Alone Dedicated Server, be sure to get the latest Server update.
If family and friends want to watch, then it is a good idea to set up a couple of extra computers for spectators and run the HLTV spectator proxy.
The first requirement is that you need a 10/100 switch or router for setting up the core network. This can be part of a router, and you can daisy-chain several switches to connect everyone else if you need more ports.
The key here is to use that one switch or router (we'll call it switch #1) to join up to 4 additional switches (assuming it's a 4-port switch) which then can support up to 16 players (at 4 ports each). This way, there is one central switch/router and up to four other switches.
If there is internet access available, then the central router can connect everyone on the network for authentication and web browsing if they need to.
For best performance, plug the Game Server into the central router or switch, that way it will have 1/2 the delay to everyone (you'll only have 3 ports then to connect additional switches to). It's a good idea to make sure the Server has a 100mbit Ethernet adapter.
NOTE: Do not use mixed ethernet speeds with "dumb hubs" they can't handle it. If you have a hub and not a switch, you'll have to make sure that all ethernet connections on the network are all 10MBit only.
Speeding up Fallback into Offline Play: It's actually quite easy to make Steam fall back into offline mode with almost no delay.
1. go to network properties 2. right-click on your internet connection "local area connection" 3. disable it 4. start Steam - it only takes about 2 seconds to pop up to the start in offline mode. 5. then re-enable your connection and you can play on LAN.
One warning, XP might get upset if you disable your NIC and think that you are changing the hardware in your computer (happens when you re-boot, so enable the NIC before rebooting!).
XP identifies 7 devices on the system when it is installed and if the identity of those devices changes too much then XP will complain and may require you to re-activate.
A very useful tool to check this is here: XPInfo
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
What a bunch of convoluted bullshit. I'd rather I had to call a 1-800# than do this shit. And it still requires you to be connected at least once and during this time you should get the latest patch? Fuck you, my best connect is 31.2 and I haven't seen a patch smaller than 20MB in years. If Bloodlines has this same bullshit, then I'll either not be playing or sailing the seven seas...
Posts: 559 | From: Blaine, MN | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Is anyone buying Vampire: bloodlines? It using the Source graphics engine...
-------------------- Gisel, I was looking at the picture page and I do have to admit, you look pretty good for a gaming female. Having said that, don't expect any sympathy when we meet on the battlefield. I am a fighter first, lover second. Posts: 2220 | From: Prescott, WI, USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I played HL2 this morning - very cool. Feels a bit like the first HL. I finally got a gun and had to go to work
HL2 detected medium texture/medium models - will try to overclock tonight and see if I can play at high settings. Medium looked decent.
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I'll likely be getting Bloodlines instead of HL2, unless it also has the Steam bullshit - then I'll likely sit on my hands...
Posts: 559 | From: Blaine, MN | Registered: Oct 2000
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I was thinking about picking up bloodlines as well. Problem is, I want to play CS source and I have to buy HL2 for that damn valve!!!
-------------------- Gisel, I was looking at the picture page and I do have to admit, you look pretty good for a gaming female. Having said that, don't expect any sympathy when we meet on the battlefield. I am a fighter first, lover second. Posts: 2220 | From: Prescott, WI, USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
Yeah - between levels it's kind of a wait - must be all the textures. (and I only have 512k)
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Buying it after work today, and probibly playing CS:S all night.
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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You will probably be able to play HL2 tonight. But I doubt you will be able to update CSS to the correct version (I assume there is patch) with all the steam traffic today. It took me 10 minutes to unlock HL2 this morning at 5am........
posted
Nope, im able to play CS:S just fine and am up and running.
Ill probibly be playing mostly on either the server you posted or on Minnesota CS:Source.
[ 11-16-2004, 18:49: Message edited by: Ender ]
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Played for a couple hours last night. I like the game play a lot. The rag dolls and physics are incredible. However, I am getting almost unplayable FPS during outdoor areas. I have my diplay settings dumbed down to medium at 800x600. Inside tunnels and halls I get 120-140fps, but as soon as I go outside it drops to 40 and below if there is action. In heavy fighting I have seen 5fps. I must have something set wrong.....
I use net_graph 2 in game to monitor fps.
I am going to try some of the setting in this article tonight:
posted
All i have to say is....... WOW. This game is incredible.
I couldnt whipe the smile off my face the entire night. Every time i got flashbanged or naded, or everytime something blew up and sprayed peices of shit everywhere, i had a huge grin on my face. Not only that, but i did quite well when i played yesterday.
Flashbangs are the key to this game now. They REALLY fuck you up now. I remember the first time i chucked one around a corner into a group of 3-4 people and they were spinning around in circles while i was shooting at them. The distorted visual effect after the whiteness weares off is really cool.
The single player HL2 game is also completely AMAZING!! I cant believe how well done it is. You actually FEEL like your running for your life in the beginning when your being chased. You can pick up just about anything and throw it (bottles, pop cans, boxes, barrels, garbage, chairs, etc.). I chucked a bottle at a guard in the beginning and he goes running after me with his tazer!
Anyways, i pretty much know what ill be doning for the next month straight.
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Weird. My FPS was pretty good i think. I didnt monitor it at all, but it was quite playable, even in outdoor areas.
When i did my stress test, i got around 63 FPS. The game automatically set most of my settings to High as the recommended settings for my comp.
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
I am going to do some further testing tonight on my 2800+ system see if it runs better then the 3500+ with the same vcard. It should run the game smooth at medium settings. CSS played very well with everything maxed out (40-120fps).. Don't know what the deal is with HL2.
One thing I found out about the retail version of HL2 - you need to insert the CD to play People that downloaded it though steam never need to.........
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
There has been a lot of discussion on the sound issues over on the Steam forum. I might try going back to my built in sound card to see if that helps. The Augity has been known to be glitchy. I set mine to Medium.
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Sound is set to high on mine, using an Audigy Z2. I did get one hang-up in HL2 where the game froze for a minute when a sound was activated, but it unfroze and went back to normal within a couple seconds. Otherwise its been fine.
What does fast switch do?? When you right click in your keyboard settings screen, your able to enable/disable it.
[ 11-17-2004, 13:01: Message edited by: Ender ]
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
When you roll the mouse wheel it switches weapons, without the need to confirm the switch by pressing fire again. I prefer it. Didn't used to like it. In CS I would run with the knife out and the rifle highlighted ready to click fire to switch. Now I just roll the wheel down one to get the rifle.
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I figured out my problem. I was messing with a software app that manages the multiplier setting of the Athlon64. I set it to auto and it moved the multiplier from 11x to 5x (to save power), then I closed the program and it stayed on 5x*200=1gig CPU. I launched HL2 and opened the console and saw that it said 1000Mhz CPu and so I was thinking WTF. Fixed it in windows, now it's much better in game (40-120fps). Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Gravity gun and pulse rifle are just sweet.
Not really a fan of single player games. Last one I did/completed was RTCW. Still cant get used to how interactive the environment is, and how smart the AI is.. (keep flanking me when I'm trying to duck and cover...)
Posts: 2469 | From: Anchorage, AK | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Yeah parts of this game are even scarier than Doom3. Doom3 was creapy but it was more frustrating than anything else.
My biggest frustration with doom 3...
Suposedly we have developed enough technology to colonize mars but have lost the abiltiy and know how not mount a flashlight to a gun to be able to use both at once. REEEEEETARDED. Also the Graphic engine for doom is great and the lighting effects are awesome too but the actual models are kinda cheasy and stupid.
HL realy is a great game but I can already tell this is not a finale and that much of the plot holes from this game and the first one will not be filled.
Posts: 2331 | From: Rosemount | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Klaus: I love the revolver
Yes, one shot too the head is a nice feature.
Actually, it doesnt even need to be in the head. As long as you hit anywhere on the upper half of the body, it seems to kill in one shot. Kinda like a handheld awp.
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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quote:And the revolver is by far my favorite gun as well
Yeah, it WAS my favorite gun when i was in the beginning part of the game. But, just wait until you get the crossbow sniper rifle. When you hit a guy with it and he is near a wall, it tacks him up to the wall and he hangs there.
That, and its a one shot kill every time no matter where you hit him.
[ 11-23-2004, 09:28: Message edited by: Ender ]
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Just beat the game last night. The end part of the game is quite difficult, and i died MANY times. I definatly think this is the best single player game ive ever played, hands down.
-------------------- It doesn't get any more serious than a Rhinocerus about to charge your ass. Posts: 1053 | From: Apple Valley, MN | Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
I tried to launch HL2 last night and it said "there may be a problem with your HL2 files - steam will now connect and download new versions" I click ok and the same box keeps popping up. Anyone run into this?
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Actually, Steam is pretty slick (minus my current issue). Downloading and installing the game was easy. I like the fact that you can install on multiple computers - then just log on and play. On and it's nice not to have to put the CD in to play.
Brent - are you ever planning on getting internet?
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
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