Halflife 2 the Max
I know a lot of you reading this article will already know this information, heck, if you don’t where have you been the last couple of months? We’ve all played Half Life once in our lives, and we each equally can say that it was one hell of a game. Not only did Valve create a game that was easy to play but most importantly also easy to customize. Tons of Half-Life Modifications have been released, the most famous being “Counter-Strike” and “Day of Defeat”.
With recent games starting to show up on the market and also at E3 (including my favorites; Deus Ex 2, Thief 3 and Doom 3), the gaming industry is evolving and the main priority is to create more realism. No more ugly pixels blended together to make a graphic, now the new king of the hill is a very realistic and very smooth shape. Now, I could go on describing the recent changes in graphic cards, but who really cares about the technical mumbo-jumbo. We want mouth-watering, jaw-dropping, eyes popping outta’ the head graphics and a storyline to go with it!
Well, Half Life 2 will make you wonder what a retard you were for thinking that Kings Quest I had the best graphics. (Oh I know, that was then.. when Kings Quest I was first released, I know many of you thought it was gods gift to man). In this whole new Half-Life installment, you’re playing the same ol’ loveable Gordon Freeman and many of the old characters are back (Including the Africian American scientist, and that very humorless G-Man!) Anyways, to make this entry short go check out this movie on the Half-Life 2 gameplay (as shown at E3)
Trust me, you’re going to be in awe and if you’re not . . well too bad!
24 Comments, Comment or Ping
Tim O'Mara
Can’t wait! I viewed the video and must say that this does look freakin’ awesome. Especially the AI, it seems more realistic and aside from the graphics (which undoubtedly look beautiful) — it’s the gameplay that will rock the house.
I noticed in the video that the dynamics and physics engine looks very much improved. Especially during that one part where Gordon slides the grenade under the dumpster and it falls over the edge.. wow.
I’ve got to agree. This game is going to be better than Doom 3 (which looks like an interactive movie). At least with Half-Life 2 their dedication towards the gamers is 100%.
May 16th, 2003
Dan Gomoski
That video looks cool, but I think Doom 3 will be better.
For one, I didn’t like the original Half-Life so I’m biased. For two, who cares if you can push a table against a door or “levitate” objects with a gun… most people would rather see something get mowed down like in Doom 3.. guts and gore over all that thinking crap.
I might give it a shot, but really, I look forward to Doom 3.
May 16th, 2003
Matt
Oh me too, I just have a problem with Doom III because of the whole “You gotta have a l33t computer to run this biatch”. I looked at my framerate if I were to buy doom III and play it on my computer and it was 8 fps.. lol.. I have a good computer too.. Geforce 4 ti 4600, Pent 4 2.5 ghz, 512 ram.
Anyways, ya.. Doom III looks rather impressive but I read that HL 2, you dont need a super computer to run the “super” game.
May 16th, 2003
Dan Gomoski
8 fps?
How’d you look that up? I know somebody with the same card, when it was leaked he got like 29-35 fps depending on what was going on.
May 19th, 2003
nexflo
Halflife 2 rocks to the max…the new enviromental engine is simple awesome. You can destroy or move ANYthing. Anything can be used to kill or hurt other players, enemies. Its simple a new era of game play.
Bout doom3, i think its not comparable. Gfx-wise doom tries to look to realistic but seems to fails badly…i guess its simple personal preference as well..if u liked doom / quake better than halflife u will probably prefer doom 3 (altough u gotta admit that h2 simple rocks :)
get the trailer :)
May 22nd, 2003
BlackTACTXT
I for one am sure that comparing two games that are intrinsicaly different from one one another, and I might add are some months yet from release is neither wise or constructive, however i can make some comments on graphics etc. As we are yet to see any outdoor environments for Doom 3, and outdoor environments really show us what the engine is capable of in a realistic sense, we cant really see what this doom 3 engine is really capable of. Halflife 2 fors its part in the matter seems very pretty in outdoor scenes, but quite frankly does not push too much of a punch indoors, like the shots i have seen for doom 3. This would lead me to believe that the Doom 3 engine is far more able graphically- i mean- its got Carmack working on it, its got to be good.
I for one however am looking forward to Halflife more A scarier game is one that takes an environment that we know, and is actually feasible, and then alters it in such a way as to make it scary( believable but scary). A random base on Mars doesn’t do it for me im afraid- Im just waiting for the MODS, and games using the Doom 3 Engine
May 25th, 2003
tim
You guys are smoking crack…Half life 2 looks way better than Doom 3.
May 28th, 2003
www.maximummods.com
One thing I noticed right off the bat is that this new HalfLife 2 game looks incredibly realistic even when compared to DOOM 3. DOOM 3 and HalfLife 2 have different engines. From what I saw in the video, HalfLife seems to run quite well and will probably run well on PC’s with less than “ultra” fast setups.
DOOM 3 on the other hand has been giving many people problems as far as FPS, however the twitchy leaked E3 demo is still an alpha version and probably needs alot more tweaking before the code runs smoothly on most graphic cards.
In order to play either of these games at full capacity you will probably need a really fast, up to date PC configuration.
I have layed out a brief summary of what hardware will be neccessary in order for you to enjoy these newer games as they were meant to be enjoyed.
A 128MB or higher videocard that supports DirectX 9
A newer Soundcard that supports EAX, A3D and 5.1 surround
A 2.8GHZ or higher CPU, P4 will run best
Aleast 512MB of fast RAM at or above 400MHZ FSB
A 7200 RPM or higher Hard Drive, Serial ATA or ATA 100+ w/8MB cache
A newer OS like Winows 2000 or XP
I know most of us don’t have the money to afford these pleasures so I suggest you start throwing your extra cash in the piggy bank if you want to be able to enjoy these newer games with any amount of eye candy.
My reccomendations for what types of hard ware to purchase in order to get up to date and stay up to date are as follows.
A GeForce FX Ultra 128MB card AGP 8X
A Radeon 9700 or 9800 Pro 128MB or 256MB card AGP 8X
A P4 3.0GHZ CPU with 533MHZ FSB or higher
1GB or more of the fastest RAM your motherboard can use
A 7200 RPM Serial ATA or ATA 133 Hard Drive with an 8MB cache
A SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Soundcard and a nice set of 5.1 surround speakers
A 19 Inch or larger monitor
Windows XP Professional - Great networking and compression features
If you can build something like this you should have more than enough power to run these newer games at maximum capacity without any lag.
Hope this helps you all.
By the way. I am opening a new website http://www.maximummods.com.
It will be dedicated to computer hardware and modifications as well as other cool stuff. I am looking for people to help with the website adding reviews and content. Please contact me if you are interested in helping out.
Thanks.
May 28th, 2003
kartooner
I’m going to have to agree with most (okay, all) of the pro Half Life 2 comments. I had the opportunity to view the E3 25-minute Half Life tech demo and my jaw was literally agap.
The physics engine implemented in the Source Engine is capable of some awesome effects. Especially to me a part where a camcorder is projecting the G-Man on screen. Suddenly, what looks like a headcrap capsizes the video camera and everything that happens is “real-time” projected on a multitude of screens. The guy who was demo’ing it then used the ‘levitating’ gun to pick up the camera and pointed it at the G-Man who adjusted himself.
I’m sure a lot of things are scripted, but according to the presenter he said most of the game is unscripted and the AI reacts convincingly.
It’s breathtaking. I for one can’t wait until September 30th when HL2 is supposed to hit the shelves.
May 28th, 2003
www.maximummods.com
I haven’t seen much technical information on the new engine being used for HalfLife 2 so far. I do know from reading some interviews with John Carmack, that DOOM 3 relies heavily on hardware dependent features. DOOM 3 puts a considerable strain on older model hardware mainly due to bottlenecks throughout various systems (FSB,AGP,RAM,CPU,GPU,.etc) So we can’t honestly say in particular which game engine will be the most friendly, better yet yield the best performance results on the minimum required configuration.
It remains to be seen which of the 2 new engines will gain a foothold, just like the Quake 3 (Radiant) engine has in many of the top selling games out now. It will be interesting to see the use of more hardware dependent features in games.
The main question I would like to ask is…can you just imagine how f**king awesome it’s going to be to play CounterStrike 2 with the new HalfLife engine?
I just hope they don’t let the hackers ruin the game again.
May 29th, 2003
kartooner
Counterstrike 2 with the new HL engine, wow, never really thought about all the third party mods.
I’d like to see Neil’s They Hunger 2 with the engine. I’m sure he’ll be able to conjure up some really freaky sequences.
There are a lot of mods that have been made with the Half Life original engine that would be killer with the Source engine.
There is a great streaming download of the E3 Demo at pc.ign.com. It showcases the technical aspects of the engine and even shows some gameplay.
May 29th, 2003
Bob Johnson
It will always come to this:
Half-life: REALISM
Quake/doom: GheYNESS on a super-duper x-ray engine
(You can see my bias)…
In terms of lighting doom3 takes a more fundamentally correct approach (true lights ONLY), in reality, the demo looked overly done, and cartoonish… as for monsters, well if GheY-MONSTERS is your thing (the type that throw glow-balls, and approach you head-on, getting stuck in the corners), then woohoo for the doom guys… Truely those geeks will concentrate on the engine so bad, and then make these crappy games that have no point w/ghey, bright textures and ghey monsters (has anyone beat Q2? It’s retarded: press button, go there, press button go there)
Valve teams takes FPS gaming from the approach of realism. So maybe it doesn’t use the freaking lighting technique of hell, but it surely looks real (it’s better than the doom demo, which is beyond gloomy, with the shadows overly pronounced)
So valve guys don’t concentrate on fundamental approach, but rather on the game feeling/looking real.
I’m tired of blaster FPS, they’re all the same, and they’re very tireing… I want games to be like books to read..
Bob
May 29th, 2003
Evan
I would have to agree that the HL2 physics engine is unrivaled to date. The complexity of the environments, combined with the material sensitive nature of the objects, will make for a truly stunning experience. Hopefully, this will allow us to be more creative in solving the various problems that are presented in the campaign.
However, I have played the DoomIII alpha, and I tend to disagree with the sentiment that the graphics are “gloomy” or distasteful in any way. The shadows and true lighting create spectacular effects, and really create a fearful ambience. The game really draws you in, as a monster leaps from the shadows into your face.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that each game has a different purpose in mind. Doom has always been about blowing the s*** out of monsters, and having a good time running through a creepy environment. Halflife is a game that challenges your wits as well as your mouse-wielding ablities. Halflife 2 will fall into the same vein. The physics of the new release should make this puzzle aspect even more entertaining.
Thanks for listening to my rant, have a nice day.
-RetinaScar-
May 31st, 2003
icyliquid
Mommy! *drool*
I cant wait!
Jun 1st, 2003
Richard
All I have to say is halflife 2 looks amazing, and counterstrike 2 on the hl2 engine is wishfull thinking. Sure it would be cool if the ct’s ran around with guns that pick up boxes and stuff, but other wise its a waste of resorces. CS is like doom multipalyer. When it comes down to it, its killing each other, not problem soving.
Jun 2nd, 2003
Bob Johnson
though cs2 on hl2 engine is indeed wishful thinking, saying that it is unnecessary upgrade is like the bloop Bill Gates did in the 80’s when he said that 640k of RAM is all that people will ever need. More realistic engine provides for more realistic killing (or balance of fun vs. realism)
As for D3 vs HL2 - 2 separate genres. Frankly I don’t have much faith in D3, it will likely become another boring remake of the same genre (Q1 is still the king of that genre, though obviously an aged game now). Blasting glowing blobs and overly shadowed monsters can only be so much fun. The dark atmosphere all of the demo takes place in got boring in the demo already. And to be honest, surreal space stations and zombies have already been WAY overused in the 80’s horror movies. Once you’re done with enjoying blasting zombies away, all is left is finding the right button to open the right door to proceed to the next “load” screen.
Half-life, though took that genre and executed it in a more real way (I LOVED RUNNING WITH NO GUNS, AND FINDING A CROW-BAR, WHILE MONSTERS ARE CREEPING IN, later grabbing a pistol for a guard), and now it’s moving into a more realistic environment (questionable as to how well that will tie in with original theme)… People interested in hl2, there’s another game that’s of similar theme, check this out:
http://www.stalker-game.com
also soon to come out (that’s what they all say :)
Jun 3rd, 2003
kartooner
If you want, you can share your thoughts in our freshly installed forums. Just go to the main site and register your account.
Also, Bob, stalker-game.com looks really promising. Can’t wait.
Jun 3rd, 2003
Trigga' Happy!
I for one am looking forward to BOTH HL2 AND DOOM3. I wont go and try to say which is better… They’re both different types of games, and each would suit me better depending on what kind of game i felt like playing at the time.
Ok most of us seem to love the gameplay and interactivity that HL2 is going to provide, but i’m sure that i’m not the only one that is also going to want an occasional in-your-face blood-and-guts violent blast-fest every now and then.
Ok, so DOOM3 isn’t going to be a continual blast-fest like its predecessors, instead relying on a scaryer and more realistic atmosphere… BUT let’s not forget all the DOOM3 MODS that are sure to follow… Undoubtedly somebody is going to create a map or two designed as zombie/monster slaugherhouses.
Mmmmm, listening to your favourite rock/rap/dance song while mowing down a room full of monsters with a shiny new gattling-gun, or shredding a room full of zombies into bits by pumping each of them with shell after shell of 12-guage buckshot… Or the utter gib-fest of unleashing a few rockets into the middle of a few clusters of enemies… *mega drool*.
I say, i can hardly wait for both of these games. And lets not EVER forget the possibilities that each of these games are going to pave the way for, in future releases/games yet to come.
Mmmmmm… First-Person-Shooterage… *drool*
Jun 4th, 2003
garry
this game is goin 2 b f****** awsome, i am a first person junkie, who has done them all, no game yet has ever come close 2 halflife, nothing,
i used 2 b quaker till they ruined it with 3 arena
doom 3 will be good, 4 all out carnage, but halflife 2 will be a thinkers game just like the origional.
chill
later
g
Jun 5th, 2003
Helios
What about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Oblivion Lost? I think it’s way much better than HL2
Jun 6th, 2003
Westy
i think its important that people stop comparing the 2 games and compare the 2 grfx engines instead.
just to summarize what the 2 engines have to offer:
source engine
.quick modding esy scripting and tagging
.nice gfx finish with good shadows and ligthing
.ability to portray emotion and bild charactors
.advanced fisicks
doom3
.detailed close qwater enviroments
.high detail texturing
.high poly modls
i think in the end it will depend on the type of game you want to end up with as to whitch engin is more suitable
the doom 3 engine and for that matter q3 engine seem visually to be very heavy i dont mean neccesarily pure grfx it just feels that if you were to physically lift it up it would weigh alot. doom 3 seems to be really brute force in grfx and less intelligent than the source engine. in terms of that box will fall to the ground but it did not feel like card but it looked like it.
i think valve have a real talent for conveying physical conventions and human interaction with objects which in alot of games is not necessary but the source engine will allow for more emotion with the virtual world where as i think doom 3 engine is just a more stuffed version of what we have had before.
Jun 7th, 2003
Zabrak
The thing I don’t get is how Gordon: a scientist, knows how to handle weapons when all he is trained in is a PH.D and scored high in his math tests. Hmmm……
Jul 1st, 2003
kartooner
I suppose you could think of it like — drastic times call for drastic measures. When you’re faced with something traumatic, dramatic, or anything that threatens your life you will either fight to survive or die.
That’s my 5 cents.
Jul 3rd, 2003
Matt
You question his abilities to use firearms, yet you don’t mention anything about THE ALIENS. Gezz, don’t concentrate on the minor details.
Jul 3rd, 2003
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