IMHO, the air-boat ride ends just at the right time. It was at the point I was really starting to get sick of the whole thing when it ended. So dont despair, the end of that whole segment ends sooner rather than later...and after that you get the gravity gun so...
EDIT: bluefugue Im totally with you in your outrage. Steam has worked 100% perfectly well for me(if perhaps a bit on the slow side, but whatever). But I find the idea of having to constantly reauthorize your SP game via Steam each time you play, beyond f'n stupid. And telling ppl the only way to go into offline mode is by removing their LAN card....jeebus, who the f does Valve think they are?!?
OR
cry in a corner that the world has come to a point where you have to pay for imaginary shit.
I think I'm near the end of the airbot; I've gotten my nice little weapon, taken out the chopper, and advanced to an area where my boat is caught in-between two dam-like obstacles; you can exit the boat and get up on one side, then run around the forward dam and get to what I believe is another frickin' perfect-jump-necessary to jump onto the dam and then over to the other side, where I presume there's another friggin switch to open the forward dam. Am I missing something, or is this Valve using the it-was-neat-in-1998-for-the-first-three-times-but-you've-overused-it-by-about-5000%-starting-near-the-end-of-HL1-jump-puzzle tack of game design yet again?
Zarathud wrote:I'm also experiencing the stuttering FPS when a sound plays. Very annoying and definitely needs a fix. Only 3 hours for me, and I goofed off a bit. And I'm only ok at FPS games and playing at Medium. Death has come for me a few times as I learn what NOT to do.
I was having the same problem. I turned the game setting for sound down to "Medium" and then under dxdiag in WinXP I lowered the Hardware Acceleration for sound down a notch. Since then the stutter has stopped and I *think* the load times decreased a litlte bit - though I could just be getting used to them. : )
I think I'm near the end of the airbot; I've gotten my nice little weapon, taken out the chopper, and advanced to an area where my boat is caught in-between two dam-like obstacles; you can exit the boat and get up on one side, then run around the forward dam and get to what I believe is another frickin' perfect-jump-necessary to jump onto the dam and then over to the other side, where I presume there's another friggin switch to open the forward dam. Am I missing something, or is this Valve using the it-was-neat-in-1998-for-the-first-three-times-but-you've-overused-it-by-about-5000%-starting-near-the-end-of-HL1-jump-puzzle tack of game design yet again?
No, no jumping puzzle .
SPOILERS
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There is a gate to left of the large red house. Go over there, and to the left of the gate is a little platform with a switch. Get off the boat and hit that switch to open the gate.
Once you're through the gate, drive your airboat up to the red house. There are a couple of bad guys, but they're easy to kill. Inside the house are a few goodies, but nothing spectacular as I recall.
Anyway, go around the house and you should see some signs that say "Observation". Follow those signs and you'll come to the dam control. Hit the switch that is working and head back to your airboat.
Drive your airboat back into the main area and you'll see some logs that form a ramp pointing towards the dam gate you just opened. Hit the gas, go up em, and you'll be out .
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To my Wife:
"Life's only life with you in this song" -Whistles the Wind, Flogging Molly
Not to my Wife:
- "When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for his life."
I think I'm near the end of the airbot; I've gotten my nice little weapon, taken out the chopper, and advanced to an area where my boat is caught in-between two dam-like obstacles; you can exit the boat and get up on one side, then run around the forward dam and get to what I believe is another frickin' perfect-jump-necessary to jump onto the dam and then over to the other side, where I presume there's another friggin switch to open the forward dam. Am I missing something, or is this Valve using the it-was-neat-in-1998-for-the-first-three-times-but-you've-overused-it-by-about-5000%-starting-near-the-end-of-HL1-jump-puzzle tack of game design yet again?
I was surprised by the number of thinking puzzles the game offers thus far. I think my FPS puzzle solving muscles are weak from never being used. I can see some people getting REALLY frustrated at some of the puzzles.
The airboat sequence ends JUST after you get through that dam. Truth be told, I was just ready to scream "ENOUGH!" with the air boat. It ended just in time. There was some crazy action on that airboat, that's for sure.
i got home tuesday with my store bought cd at about 4pm. it took a little over 1hr. and 45 mins. to get where i could play. needless to say i was getting a little perturbed. the good news is, the game is running great and it is quite a game. i only have about 2 hrs. in[work ]. my question is this. when does the offline mode kick in? i checked all the right boxes but the game still connects to steam when i start up. do you go into offline only if there is a problem with steam? or does it always connect to steam if you use dsl with a nic card?
I went home last night after a horrid day at work to find that my cable/internet service was out. No internet = no HL2 = me . What a perfect ending to a shitty day.
I bought the game via Steam, so without internet access I'm completely SOL, but if I had bought the CD version and couldn't play it because my cable was out I'd be very, very upset right now.
"Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand." - Anonymous
map wrote:i got home tuesday with my store bought cd at about 4pm. it took a little over 1hr. and 45 mins. to get where i could play. needless to say i was getting a little perturbed. the good news is, the game is running great and it is quite a game. i only have about 2 hrs. in[work ]. my question is this. when does the offline mode kick in? i checked all the right boxes but the game still connects to steam when i start up. do you go into offline only if there is a problem with steam? or does it always connect to steam if you use dsl with a nic card?
Before you can even run in offline mode steam has to send back that your authorized. Once this is done, if you right click Half Life 2 in Steam and go to Properties you will see Offline Mode. This has to be Ready for it to work. It took me until this morning to get back a message that I was authorized.
Now that my Offline Mode is ready, I think I have to disable my lan card to play offline each time (according to other things I've read.
There is a gate to left of the large red house. Go over there, and to the left of the gate is a little platform with a switch. Get off the boat and hit that switch to open the gate.
Once you're through the gate, drive your airboat up to the red house. There are a couple of bad guys, but they're easy to kill. Inside the house are a few goodies, but nothing spectacular as I recall.
Anyway, go around the house and you should see some signs that say "Observation". Follow those signs and you'll come to the dam control. Hit the switch that is working and head back to your airboat.
Drive your airboat back into the main area and you'll see some logs that form a ramp pointing towards the dam gate you just opened. Hit the gas, go up em, and you'll be out .
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I don't think we're talking about the same area. I'm stuck in a very small area between two dams, and I don't remember seeing a red house. There's a tank or some form of rocket emplacement firing at me when I exit the boat and move past the forward dam. Maybe I just didn't see the house; I'm at work now and can't check.
It seems to me that if you have a configurable firewall, you could just deny Steam internet access rather than disabling your entire network every time. The idea is that Steam doesn't fall into offline mode unless it is incapable of reaching its servers. If it launches and can't connect, it checks to see if offline is enabled; if it is, it goes that route. Simply blocking it with ZoneAlarm or whatever program should do the trick.
Clear out both sides of soldiers with the gun. Then take the boat back towards the first gate. On the right side you'll notice a little grate that you can drive the boat up onto. Get onto the ledge and then drive towards the second gate. You'll hit a ramp that will jump you over and let you keep going.
To my Wife:
"Life's only life with you in this song" -Whistles the Wind, Flogging Molly
Not to my Wife:
- "When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for his life."
Blackhawk wrote:It seems to me that if you have a configurable firewall, you could just deny Steam internet access rather than disabling your entire network every time. The idea is that Steam doesn't fall into offline mode unless it is incapable of reaching its servers. If it launches and can't connect, it checks to see if offline is enabled; if it is, it goes that route. Simply blocking it with ZoneAlarm or whatever program should do the trick.
That's a pretty good idea, but I tried playing Condition Zero SP last night while my internet connection was down, thinking that I could play in Offline mode, and the Steam connection box stayed up for minutes before I killed it. It didn't seem to recognize that there was no connection, though it may take longer than my lack of patience allowed it to.
"Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand." - Anonymous
I would just like to say that if this game does not win game of the year, then people are on crack. If people think that Halo 2 is better than they are just buying into the hype.
The mood and story in this game is so good that I actually really hated the villians before I even grabed my first weapon in the game. It pulls you in and makes you want to kick ass.
I could keep going, but I would rather be playing.
Scraper wrote:The mood and story in this game is so good that I actually really hated the villians before I even grabed my first weapon in the game. It pulls you in and makes you want to kick ass.
I could keep going, but I would rather be playing.
Ditto, and ditto. I can't wait to get home from work...
After putting in a couple hours. I will just have to say, What a ride! THIS game has atmosphere. It pisses on Doom 3, shats on it even, and then has it cook its breakfast for it. The graphics are comparable (probably better because its actually well lit for a portion of the time.) Physics are probably the best I've ever seen in a game.
The sheer frantic pace of the firefights, along with the general feeling of the gravity of your situation outstrips Halo 2 easily. It really does make you feel as if you are part of a movie, or some demented alternate reality.
Complaints thus far include the sound skipping bug. The textures to medium fix has worked (although it gauls me that my rig is capable of running everything on high.) Also I'm not sold on the whole steam thing for a number of reasons.
Still though, its easily one of the top 2 games I've played this year. Its probably going to win GoTY honors in all the magazines.
Ronin
"The Die is Cast"
-Gauis Julius Caesar prior to crossing the Rubicon River against Rome 49 BC
Scraper wrote:I would just like to say that if this game does not win game of the year, then people are on crack. If people think that Halo 2 is better than they are just buying into the hype.
I have a friend trying to tell me that Everquest 2 impressed him more (look and environment) - but he's only about a 1/2 hour into HL2. His initial impression is "underwhelmed".
Is there anyone here that has played both and can comment? I think he started smoking crack and didn't divulge that to me.
Ronin wrote:Complaints thus far include the sound skipping bug. The textures to medium fix has worked (although it gauls me that my rig is capable of running everything on high.)
Not sure where you heard this, but I dropped the SOUND quality to medium as well as lowering the hardware acceleration for sound under DXDIAG. Sound skipping stopped and it still looks fandamntastic.
Smoove_B wrote:Not sure where you heard this, but I dropped the SOUND quality to medium as well as lowering the hardware acceleration for sound under DXDIAG. Sound skipping stopped and it still looks fandamntastic.
I am glad I didn't run into this bug (that I know of, maybe I am just more tolerant). I was actually able to start turning settings up without any perceptable loss in frame rate.
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
I have a friend trying to tell me that Everquest 2 impressed him more (look and environment) - but he's only about a 1/2 hour into HL2. His initial impression is "underwhelmed".
Being addicted to a MMORPG can do that to someone. No other games, and even everything else in life, can compare to the game they are addicted to.
Yeah, the barrels blow up with a really satisfying pop and the chain reactions are a joy to behold.
Monday night I played for an hour. Tuesday night I played for two hours. Tonight I want to carve out at least four hours.
I read in that long Gamestop article about the development of Half-life 2 that the developers would play through the game constantly asking themselves, "What is the player doing now?" And it pays off with a game experience that never lags and (at least early on) is endlessly fun and surprising.
I read in that long Gamestop article about the development of Half-life 2 that the developers would play through the game constantly asking themselves, "What is the player doing now?" And it pays off with a game experience that never lags and (at least early on) is endlessly fun and surprising.
So far it pays off through the first 8 levels for me. The breathers come at a good time and the rest of the time I get the action I crave
I tend to play FPS slower than whoever it is that times the lengths of these things...but Ive been going at it close to 15 hours now, and Im pretty sure Im not real close to finishing. *Maybe* 2/3 of the way done...?
So many 'damn that was fun!' moments, I really couldnt even begin to count.
I really enjoyed Doom 3; it was fun, it was pretty, I got to blow stuff up. Awesome. BUt I was ready for it to be over by the time I hit that 15 hour mark or so; with HL2 Im already contemplating when Ill replay it. Some of the action sequences when you get farther into the game are just really well done, and a nice change of pace. It's not D3's, 'open door, shoot bad guy, wash, rinse, repeat'. I don't replay many games either; Myth 2 is probably the last one I can think of...oh, and uhh HL1.
OR
cry in a corner that the world has come to a point where you have to pay for imaginary shit.
Throwing sawblades
Throwing radiators
Throwing the twisted metal/rotor blades
Once you get the gravity gun, other weapons are superfluous!
I'm throwing everything. I love when you throw open paintcans at monsters, and they get covered in goo! Excellent game. Only a game THIS GOOD could have a chance taking electronic distribution mainstream.
What can be said of this game that others haven't already said. PHFFFGHPPBBBBTT!!! I believe that was original. Otherwise, all I can do is echo the many admirers of HL2. Awesome, from the graphics to the atmosphere to the story (so far, at least; I have barely started the game and I'm already amazed). As GungHo said, I liked Doom 3 but this one is going to be the benchmark for me for years to come in terms of FPSs. Bravo Valve.
PS - I had no issues with Steam
When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was. - Mitch Hedberg
Wow. I can't believe that I've lived long enough to see physics puzzles in a FPS game. This is one of those games where you have to change your whole frame of reference when you play it. Simply one of the best games I've ever played, and I'm only a couple of hours into it. BTW, I just can't get enough of those "drop em in their tracks" headshots.
"Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand." - Anonymous
Raven_13 wrote:Wow. I can't believe that I've lived long enough to see physics puzzles in a FPS game. This is one of those games where you have to change your whole frame of reference when you play it.
Exactly. I don't remember what game it was (Hexen?) when you could look up and down and there were multiple "floors" where monsters could attack you from.
You had to change your skill set from Doom 2 in order to fight.
Really quick impressions, since I'm supposed to be sleeping already:
Installation: evil. Steam isn't particularily invasive or nasty per se, but the whole process, from needing an account to having to go through three phases of updating just to play (Steam itself, unlocking the game files, and then updating HL2) is so bizarrely and unnecessarily complicated as to make me want to puke. This process is to the KISS principle what goatse is to masturbation. And the kicker is this: after all that authetication crap, you still have to have the CD in the drive to play. Where's Micheal Dunn's old gigantic rolleyes when I need it?
Game: phenomenal. I've only just gotten the pistol (and haven't even used it yet; although I did get to club a couple of those annoying guards with my trusty crowbar), so my impressions are hardly based on long hours of play, but... the visuals, stunning. Several times so far I've thought to myself that out of context I could believe a certain screenshot or texture could actually be a photograph. The physics, great. I've devoted quite a few minutes in a couple rooms to just throwing crap around and marvelling at how realistically it bounces - or doesn't. The atmosphere, excellent. From the HL homages (starting on the train, the science-experiment-gone awry, the crowbar-giving scene) to those annoying photobots, and probably most notably the phenomenal evil-character buildup for the thugs - by the time I actually got to swat a couple, I was glad to do it, and not because they were going to attack me.
OK, so that wasn't quite as quick as I was hoping to be. Oh well, I hope somebody benefits from my shared kinda-wisdom. More tomorrow if I have time to play (not so sure).
Raven_13 wrote:Wow. I can't believe that I've lived long enough to see physics puzzles in a FPS game. This is one of those games where you have to change your whole frame of reference when you play it. Simply one of the best games I've ever played, and I'm only a couple of hours into it. BTW, I just can't get enough of those "drop em in their tracks" headshots.
Holy crap. As I said earlier, I'm normally not a FPS player - but I am genuinely startled at how this game has shifted my frame of reference, to where I am looking around my environment, not for a switch, but for something that might be useful in getting me through my current predicament.
My wife walked past me while I was playing and I was standing on a ledge looking down on the water. She was like "damn - that looks like real water." Yes it does.
SPOILERS to follow
There was one point when I was on the airboat and the ramp was lopsided in the wrong direction. I saw some barrels lying around that made a hollow sound when I threw them. My first though was "these must be full of air, I wonder if I can put them under water to push up the other end of the ramp". I've never contemplated my environment like that in an FPS.
That said - enough of the airboat already. PLEASE be close to the end of the airboat sequence...
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
One more thing - you cannot imagine the feeling of elation when I picked up the .357 magnum and heard some CP assholes on the other side of the door coming my way. Dropping those guys was one of the most satisfying experiences in the game so far.
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
I used a cheat to get the gravity gun because I just HAD to test it out and wow, is it just the most fun thing ever! I read that the Doom 3 expansion is going to have their own version of this gun (which I'm sure is a gigantic coincidence, but whatever). I loved picking up the explosive barrels and hurling them at the CP agents.
When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was. - Mitch Hedberg
One of the things that they designed well into the game is the fact that the puzzles aren't immediately obvious, but at the same time they aren't frustrating to find the solution. You actually feel accomplished when you do figure something out on the spur of the moment, especially when you have the feeling that you need to be moving along quickly.
Another thing they did was stoking a hatred for the Combine, and for most of the enemies you face. From the can incident in the beginning you develope a sense of loathing from the combine. The game gives me a bloodlust to send the combine and their zombie spawn straight to hell. I take a sick satisfaction at watching zombies burn.
Am I a sick man?
Ronin
"The Die is Cast"
-Gauis Julius Caesar prior to crossing the Rubicon River against Rome 49 BC
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]. my question is this. when does the offline mode kick in? i checked all the right boxes but the game still connects to steam when i start up. do you go into offline only if there is a problem with steam? or does it always connect to steam if you use dsl with a nic card?
. What a perfect ending to a shitty day.
