I agree 100% with Blue's comments.


The haters and detractors can say what they like but this game will go down in history as an all time classic, you only have to take one look at gamerankings.com to see that.

Armengar, I don't fault you at all for that. I can't WAIT for Sven to work his coop magic. In fact, if I ever get my hands on the editor this is probably the first title since the original Unreal I'll try to make maps for...

The Problem (TM): Damn dialup. I can't get anything else out here. Took me 2 hours to install HL2 off of Steam (from the CE box version) and it'll take me 20 to download the SDK.

I was about to break off my old Quake skills in some CS kiddies' asses the other night when I jumped into a 200-ping server and it ballooned up to 800 as soon as I tried to move. Some guy runs by and I pick up a radiator as it follows me drunkenly around the screen. He stops, looks at me, I press fire. He shimmies left and right, shoots at me, misses, stops, shoots at me again while STANDING STILL, and hits me in the head with the magnum. My grav gun never fired, and this is 3 seconds later.

Damnit. I may not be able to play with you guys after all... Unless I was in a bad server. I can play most UT2K4 gamemodes ok (pings of 400 or less) and still occasionally lead.

All the Source engine games would be infinitely improved if I could disable that damn voice comms thing. The last thing I want to hear is a 10 year old telling me to take the underpass in de_dust. Especially if they're French. This, of course, may already be an option and I am ranting uneccessarily. Either way, carry on.

Edit: I really should read the previous posts. Great minds think alike eh? ;P.

Still, carry on.


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We don't go to Ravenholm.
This comment was edited on Dec 4, 08:00.

I havent finished HL2 yet (nova prospekt) but I like it. I dont like the loading times but what should I expect from a 3GHz Ti4600 1gig RAM {/sarcasm off}

HL2 disappoints only because you want more from the game. What there is is good just not substantial enough.

I wouldnt give it best evar game (HL1 is still better IMHO and I haven't tried HL1 source yet!) and I liked Deus Ex as a game more than HL2 but it IS a good game just not enough. However I am an odball and I prefer COOP games (DAMN YOU VALVE!) and team games so I'll wait till TFC2 (stop laughing)

This comment was edited on Dec 4, 06:53.

I agree with Shai.
Good game, but I think it falls short on several aspects, especially story.

HL2 is very very good but i played thru HL:Source and realized, besides gx, little has changed in 6 years.

Lord you've lost your mind. Very much is different. But actually, Half Life has changed in 6 years, called Half Life Source.

This comment was edited on Dec 4, 02:52.

This was the first thing you all tried?
http://webpages.charter.net/shadowfax1/gamma.gif
This tool give you much better control than an in-game gamma slider.

Good for you Blue. A lot of people have been holding back on saying how much they enjoyed it or how good it is for fear of retribution

WTF? think you got that backwards, its the people who don't think its the second coming are the ones getting the flames and retribution.

"I realize I'm in the minority, but Half-Life 2 just wasn't worth the bother and definitely isn't worth the hype.

There is no story. There's hints of one that you're not really involved in, but the entire story involves you being dumped into a place where you are to shoot things. You do so, and when the last enemy falls the game ends with what's essentally an ad for Half-Life 3. "

I totally agree, and I've said it before. Fun game anyway though. I finally finished the game about 20 minutes ago and that's pretty much what I was expecting in terms of undeveloped story. It's easier to create suspense by hinting at the unfolding of plot, but then that leaves a hollow climax. The plot here is more clumsy than that with a couple ridiculous deus ex machina (even terrible episodes of star trek are better at explaining theirs) that I can't mention without spoiling. And crappy movies in the same mould like Equilibrium (and starship troopers and other heinlein) have more character development. This isn't an argument for a long winded plot at all, only some structure in place of the facade.

I don't want to know what godawful stuff the sf-author they hired was producing before valve. Seems like he's just ripping off Bradbury and Heinlein, and g-man and the mysterianism was ripped off x-files or whatever, but you're only pulled in to that genre when you learn more and the questions multiply, but here it's obvious that none of it has been worked out.

If you set the Color profile to Advanced mode you can edit the gamma curve to look however you want it too. Try clicking and dragging the middle of the line towards the left.

That was the first thing we all tried, obviously. It doesn't work, hence the problem.

edit: something


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"I have good reason to believe that in the intervening years, he was in a state that precluded further development of covert skills."
This comment was edited on Dec 3, 22:40.

best computer game ever, No. That would be Ultima 7.
best computer shooter-with-a-storyline ever, yes.

HL2 is very very good but i played thru HL:Source and realized, besides gx, little has changed in 6 years.

If you are having gamma/brightness problems with HL2, the best thing you can do is change the settings in the videocard driver.

The Nvidia driver has a page of options called "color correction". If you set the Color profile to Advanced mode you can edit the gamma curve to look however you want it too. Try clicking and dragging the middle of the line towards the left.

Nova Prospekt: I liked the idea of the Nova Prospekt area with the turrets. The way I solved it was by putting all three turrets in front of me in a small side room. I used the gravity gun to pick up the occasional fallen turret and to throw grenades back.

Level loading: With the current engine, probably the only way to prevent load times would be to completely load the current level and the next one into ram.

I think you can go into the game options and disable voices. Or are you talking about a quick key you can hit to temporarily mute incoming voice chat?

Actually I was talking about the ability to mute the incoming voice chat of individual players, however, upon closer inspection (using my good eye) that option is available. You've gotta hit Esc. then go into the players list in the menu, and it's all right there.

HL2DM is quickly becoming an addiction. And I dare anybody to try camping out with the RL in the tower on overwatch; I'll turn you into a ragdoll-y mess.

If anyone is looking for fellow bluesnews players my gaming handle is in my profile.

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Gameplay before graphics.

n00b seems to be a very popular insult these days. I get it a lot, even though "you suck!" would be a lot more accurate. Anyway, I'll amend my award to "Best Game I've ever played", just to avoid controversy. Since I've only been playing computer games since 1978, I don't really have enough experience for an informed opinion.

I remember Blue gave the original HL "Game of the Year" honors... I remember because it was part of the title graphics in the "Uplink" HL Demo. They had three or four little "Best game" plugs, but Blues is the only one I remember.

Free T-Shirts - Yes, there are free t-shirt awards for reaching various posting number milestones. Please let me know if you think you're qualified. There's a $20 shipping and handling charge for each t-shirt.

Dear VALVe, please add a mute option. The one in UT2k4 is quite possibly the most used feature of any game I've ever owned.

I think you can go into the game options and disable voices. Or are you talking about a quick key you can hit to temporarily mute incoming voice chat?

-------------------------------------------------------
"Give me a Sandwich and a Douchebag and there is nothing I cannot do." ~ Lord Salisbury

with Columbine levels lit with a "cool" temperature and friendly areas having a warmer light temperature.

yeah, those Columbine levels were pretty edgy

A quick game of DM on an 8 person server, I went 50-16. I'm not bragging, there is a point to this. That score was because I was playing against a bunch of CS kiddies. How do I know, you ask? Because I could hear them.

Dear VALVe, please add a mute option. The one in UT2k4 is quite possibly the most used feature of any game I've ever owned.

Edit: Please see post #83.
_________________________
Gameplay before graphics.
This comment was edited on Dec 3, 20:32.

If I say Rosebud is a sled will people get mad? BTW, Bruce Willis character in The Sixth Sense is actually a woman the entire time.

You bastard! My life is RUINED!

http://citizenb.com/ - Shameless website plug.
Some men get the world. Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona.

Zathrus: I thought it was safe to spoil now, I mean if Blue is done, how can anybody still be in suspense?!

'Cause Blue doesn't have a life - c'mon, he runs a website. It must always be a party in the Blue command center. Too bad he won't invite nin in out of the van to join him in the fun (or did he pick up one of those zepplins?).

Many of us in the real world are still plugging along in the game.

I'm actually reading a lot of the spoilers even though I'm (SST) still only in the prision level. I don't really mind most of them - kinda like seeing a movie preview. Doesn't take much away from my enjoyment at all.

Warhark: 800! Congrats, but it's time to get a real therapy group

I like to think I'm providing the therapy. Helps me justify to myself coming here during work hours. I feel like (SST) the preacher guy in Ravenholm when the talk turns political.



*************
* Warhawk *
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You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it.


This comment was edited on Dec 3, 19:55.

Warhark: 800! Congrats, but it's time to get a real therapy group

Zathrus: I thought it was safe to spoil now, I mean if Blue is done, how can anybody still be in suspense?! If I say Rosebud is a sled will people get mad? BTW, Bruce Willis character in The Sixth Sense is actually a woman the entire time.

P.S. Any Bloodlines spoilers and I will personally hunt you down and kill you and your entire family.