Just got HL2...any way to get the other Source material? (Impressions included)

SteveMcQ

SteveMcQ

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HL2 just arrived from EB with an oversized t-shirt. (Alyx cover)

I had forgotten I had it pre-ordered there and I was going to decide whether to go Steam or retail, but since I have it now, is there any way to get the other Steam enhanced games separately?

I really don't follow the PC gaming scene too much. Thanks for the help.
 
well, as of right now, only Counter Strike:Source is available. HL:Source and DoD: Source will be available later (yes, even if you bought the CE). We'll find out when those are released.
 
Well, the retail version is rather...unspectacular, package wise.

No jewel cases for the CDs. They just come in envelopes. No manual either. Just a quick start card, five CDs and an advertisement is inside. Nothing extra.
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Well, the retail version is rather...unspectacular, package wise.

No jewel cases for the CDs. They just come in envelopes. No manual either. Just a quick start card, five CDs and an advertisement is inside. Nothing extra.[/quote]

I hate the fact that companies refuse to pony-up on their production costs for some simple effing jewel cases. BTW, after installing it with the retail release, do you need to use the CD? Or is it all drawn from your hard drive (or Steam for that matter)?

EDIT: No manual either? Lame^2.
 
Defragging my game partition right now. I'll let you know after I install it.

Yup, no manual. Just a quick reference guide.
 
What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"
 
I took a look at my friend's collector's edition box. Just a shirt, a small book on art work and mini walkthrough, and the game. Very very lame.

The biggest PC game release since Doom III (lol) and Value couldn't even include a manual with the game?
 
[quote name='Scorch']What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"[/quote]

PC game manuals have a reputation for being wicked-cool. Go check out the NWN or Starsiege manual and try to tell me different. It's just a nice little extra that I can oggle at during installation.
 
[quote name='Scorch']What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"[/quote]
It's just an expected part of every game release Scorch. If Halo 2 didn't come with a manual you'd be a bit miffed as well. You could do without it, I know, but it just makes you wonder when every other game comes with one.

Then again, it's the contents of the CDs that matter.

Still defragging.
 
Half-Life: Source was released at the same time as Half-Life 2.

Vivendi made the boxes, and they were responsible for manuals, so they did the economical thing; not printing manuals.
 
Wow as much as I love Half life , it sounds like they are pushing the cost of their screw ups and delayed production costs onto us with no manual and case.
It feels like it comes with a free VU anal violation which I would rather not get.
I will pay it like the dumbass I am and still love the game , but for all their excuses and delays and overpricing, it better make me wee myself with its fun factor.
I only wish my pc could play it now without upgrading.
 
[quote name='Quackzilla']Half-Life: Source was released at the same time as Half-Life 2.[/quote]

They were asking when it would be available for those who didn't buy packages privy to it initially.
 
Of course.

Disc 4/5 on installation. I'm more excited about this than I was with Halo 2.

*flame suit on crowbar at the ready*
 
With all the delays and overpricing I couldn't care less about HL2. I was excited about this game at one time, but it was so long ago I don't even remember.

And now no manuals? WTF? Valve can shove it. I will get this game the CAG way.
 
after playing for nearly 2 hours now, this game is absolutely amazing and halo 2 is a good game it just doesn't stack up to the 6 years of development that half life 2 went through. Good god the graphics are the most amazing i have ever seen. The gameplay perfect, and the story is to die for. Thank you valve, thank you gabe, and thank you bungie for keeping me busy till this came out.
 
Installation

That was the longest installation I've ever seen. The actual reading of the game discs took about 5 minutes, but the rest of the time was spent sitting there waiting on Steam. Probably just with all the traffic. Couldn't complete registration right now.

It does need a disc in order to play.

First impression

Wow. Just wow. The sound is amazing. I certainly hope you have 5.1 to take advatage of it.

Graphically, this, by far, has the most believable game world I've ever seen. The textures, lighting and general atmosphere are so good. Dust and grime everywhere.

Most amazing effect I've seen is this shield/barricade on the first outdoor level. It's got a Stargate type watery/mercurial look to it.

I've yet to see any sort of heavy action that could weigh down the framerates, but it's generally smooth thus far. No major hiccups.

P4 3.0GHz
1GB Corsair XMS
ATi Radeon 9800 Pro
SB Audigy 2

I'm just having a blast right now messing with the physics and interacting with the game world.

See-saw and concrete blocks. Looks like a home made catapult to me.

Character models are impressive. I believe I just met the protagonist from Jaws in the cafeteria.

Seems to be quite a bit of story elements you can just sit and listen to in the main area.

The only thing is the loading. Approaching certain doors. There's a pause of about 10 seconds and a loading button appears in the middle. It just breaks up the continuity of the gameworld.

The sound effect for the use button is a bit annoying. No matter what you do, it's the same "computer" gimmicky sound.

Gotta go pick up MP2, beat MP, and then it's back to HL2.
 
The only thing is the loading. Approaching certain doors. There's a pause of about 10 seconds and a loading button appears in the middle. It just breaks up the continuity of the gameworld.
Click to expand...

Loading in a PC game? Your kidding right? If not, that is completely unacceptable.

The sound effect for the use button is a bit annoying. No matter what you do, it's the same "computer" gimmicky sound.
Click to expand...

I'm really starting to not like this game. :puke:
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Of course.

Disc 4/5 on installation. I'm more excited about this than I was with Halo 2.

*flame suit on crowbar at the ready*[/quote]

no need for a slame suit, lots of people, myself included, were looking forward to half life 2 more than halo 2, i mean it IS going to be better, so dont worry about it
 
[quote name='Ledhed'][quote name='Quackzilla']Half-Life: Source was released at the same time as Half-Life 2.[/quote]

They were asking when it would be available for those who didn't buy packages privy to it initially.[/quote]

Most likely around the time that Counter-Strike: Source goes retail, when they set Steam up for individual game purchases.
 
For my money, this has to be game of the year. The physics, the level design, the characters, the story, it all comes together in gameplay.

I was supposed to go and get MP2, but I couldn't tear myself away from the game (will go get Echoes now, though). Wow.

The sound is amazing. You can hear the echoes from your gunfire as well.

I was extremely surprised when the game was on the way to my door. Glad it did, though. Love it thus far.
 
[quote name='Ledhed'][quote name='Scorch']What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"[/quote]

PC game manuals have a reputation for being wicked-cool. Go check out the NWN or Starsiege manual and try to tell me different. It's just a nice little extra that I can oggle at during installation.[/quote]

The manual for the first Homeworld kicked some serious ass.
 
No there isn't. Unless it's buried in one of the discs. There's nothing installed. Manual or not, this game is spectacular. It would have been nice to have a manual with all the goodies inside that usual PC releases do.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']
The only thing is the loading. Approaching certain doors. There's a pause of about 10 seconds and a loading button appears in the middle. It just breaks up the continuity of the gameworld.
Click to expand...

Loading in a PC game? Your kidding right? If not, that is completely unacceptable.

The sound effect for the use button is a bit annoying. No matter what you do, it's the same "computer" gimmicky sound.
Click to expand...

I'm really starting to not like this game. :puke:[/quote]

Im actually kinda surprised your being this dickish about it. I thought you were better than that.

The only thing is the loading. Approaching certain doors. There's a pause of about 10 seconds and a loading button appears in the middle. It just breaks up the continuity of the gameworld.
Click to expand...

Loading in a PC game? Your kidding right? If not, that is completely unacceptable.

-Normal PC games have levels, or cut scenes...this game doesnt stop. Also, it depends on computer specs, especially memmory. I have around 500, and the loading times werent too bad, and werent that close together.

The sound effect for the use button is a bit annoying. No matter what you do, it's the same "computer" gimmicky sound.
Click to expand...

I'm really starting to not like this game. :puke:[/quote]

Its the same sound from HL1, that "gah-girk!" (said really fast).

I too was dissapointed in the packaging...but the game really does speak for itself. The beggining with G-man talking to you was one of the most awe inspiring openings ive ever seen....that wasnt a completely CGI elemet. The faces are really that good...better than the Polar Express even. Quite shocked, really.

P4 3.02 HT
512 Ram
64 meg NVidia 5200GO

Not a monster machine by any means, but plays the games VERY well.

Oh, and yes, after playing so many console games, installation just sucks...
 
Im actually kinda surprised your being this dickish about it. I thought you were better than that.
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about? Load times on a pc are not acceptable. period.

It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? fuck that!

This is a major problem that is plaguing PC games - the fact that devs are making pc games like console games and are not properly taking advantage of the pc hardware. This was a problem in DX2 and in T3 where there were massive load times on a pc when there should have been none.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']
Im actually kinda surprised your being this dickish about it. I thought you were better than that.
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about? Load times on a pc are not acceptable. period.

It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? shaq-fu that![/quote]

With 1 gig of ram it will most likely be VERY brief. Probably about the same as the frame skip in Halo 2 or GTA:SA.
 
[quote name='Wshakspear'][quote name='Scrubking']
Im actually kinda surprised your being this dickish about it. I thought you were better than that.
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about? Load times on a pc are not acceptable. period.

It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? shaq-fu that![/quote]

With 1 gig of ram it will most likely be VERY brief. Probably about the same as the frame skip in Halo 2 or GTA:SA.[/quote]
Not quite. Like I said, it's about a 10 second pause on my machine. See my previous posts to see the specs. It does break up the action, but the game loads are spaced apart pretty well amidst the action.
 
Anyone have a pic of the t-shirt that comes with the CE? And does the book that comes with it really suck that much? If so, I think I might just end up getting the standard for $40 at Microcenter and buy HL1: Source from Steam later.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']
Im actually kinda surprised your being this dickish about it. I thought you were better than that.
Click to expand...

WTF are you talking about? Load times on a pc are not acceptable. period.

It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? shaq-fu that!

This is a major problem that is plaguing PC games - the fact that devs are making pc games like console games and are not properly taking advantage of the pc hardware. This was a problem in DX2 and in T3 where there were massive load times on a pc when there should have been none.[/quote]
It's really that big of a deal to you? :roll:
 
Have you never played PC games in your life? Load times exist. Consoles have the worst load times, but everything has it. The textures in this game, I'm amazed the load is that short. Only thing I don't like is the animated menu takes a bit to come up.
 
[quote name='Ledhed'][quote name='Scorch']What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"[/quote]

PC game manuals have a reputation for being wicked-cool. Go check out the NWN or Starsiege manual and try to tell me different. It's just a nice little extra that I can oggle at during installation.[/quote]

Right, but those aren't FPS's.

It's just an expected part of every game release Scorch. If Halo 2 didn't come with a manual you'd be a bit miffed as well. You could do without it, I know, but it just makes you wonder when every other game comes with one.
Click to expand...

Point taken.

For my money, this has to be game of the year. The physics, the level design, the characters, the story, it all comes together in gameplay.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The sheer amount of things you can do is awesome. In the first part, I ripped dude's TV cord out from the wall then threw the TV out the window. That ruled.

nyone have a pic of the t-shirt that comes with the CE? And does the book that comes with it really suck that much? If so, I think I might just end up getting the standard for $40 at Microcenter and buy HL1: Source from Steam later.
Click to expand...

It's just a solid black shirt with the lambda logo and the 2 above it. It's really, really plain, but it's cool to have. I didn't even look at the book.. but at least the CE copies come in a case :p and they're only on one dvd, which is a big plus.

For what it's worth, you guys on the edge of deciding to get the CE or normal copy.. the only difference is the shirt, packaging, and the inclusion of Half-Life: Source. I tried HL:S and it looked the same as it did 6 years ago - The only noticeable difference I noted right off the bat was an extra shine on the door and the water in the sink was preeeeeeeeeetty. Other than that, I saw nothing else.

Oh, and the load times for me between areas was 30 or 35 seconds. I'm on a 1.1ghz with 512mb ram.. if you've got a 2.0+ with 512+ram, just expect a fifteen to twenty five second pause.
 
Have you never played PC games in your life? Load times exist.
Click to expand...

Yes, in poorly coded games. Load times should not exist in pc games to the degree where you get a loading message.

And I have been playing pc games since DOS so shut your mouth please.

It's really that big of a deal to you?
Click to expand...

It should be a big deal to everyone. PC's are NOT consoles so games on a pc shouldn't resemble them ie load times and load messages.

And I can understand how many of you don't have a clue since you probably are not into pc gaming, but you need to realize that just cause consoles have load times doesn't mean that it's okay for pc's to have them as well.
 
It should be a big deal to everyone. PC's are NOT consoles so games on a pc shouldn't resemble them ie load times and load messages.
Click to expand...

Whoa.. someone's a bit impatient. You need to realize that PC's have had load times since like.. forever.

Yes, in poorly coded games. Load times should not exist in pc games to the degree where you get a loading message.

And I have been playing pc games since DOS so shut your mouth please.
Click to expand...

I think he's got a right to speak when you're being extremely unreasonable. Every game has load times.
 
Starcraft had load times. World of Warcraft had load times, Serious sam had load times, Quake 3 had load times....im seeing a trend...
 
[quote name='Wshakspear']Starcraft had load times. World of Warcraft had load times, Serious sam had load times, Quake 3 had load times....im seeing a trend...[/quote]

So did Far Cry and Doom 3, hell, even doom had a short load time. Games with large areas and a lot of AI need to load.

i'm unlocking the game now, and I don't think I'll stop playing until tomorrow.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']
Have you never played PC games in your life? Load times exist.
Click to expand...

Yes, in poorly coded games. Load times should not exist in pc games to the degree where you get a loading message.

And I have been playing pc games since DOS so shut your mouth please.

It's really that big of a deal to you?
Click to expand...

It should be a big deal to everyone. PC's are NOT consoles so games on a pc shouldn't resemble them ie load times and load messages.

And I can understand how many of you don't have a clue since you probably are not into pc gaming, but you need to realize that just cause consoles have load times doesn't mean that it's okay for pc's to have them as well.[/quote]
Obviously you're far more hardcore than I am. In fact, it's safe to assume that I know absolutely nothing about PCs. I concede defeat.
 
[quote name='SneakyPenguin'][quote name='Wshakspear']Starcraft had load times. World of Warcraft had load times, Serious sam had load times, Quake 3 had load times....im seeing a trend...[/quote]

So did Far Cry and Doom 3, hell, even doom had a short load time. Games with large areas and a lot of AI need to load.

i'm unlocking the game now, and I don't think I'll stop playing until tomorrow.[/quote]

Odd, i thought i typed Doom, but Quake came out...weird...Anyways

You will enjoy the ell out of it...but if Steam starts acting up on you, do some research on yoga, it helps :)
 
There is a difference between a 1 time load for the whole game and loading everytime you walk through a door.

The funny thing is I am not a hardcore pc game elitist, yet I see that pc games should not be equal to consoles in load times.

And since you people seem to ignore what I say let me repeat that pc games have been slowly becoming consolized in that they are requiring more and more load times.
 
[quote name='Scorch'][quote name='Ledhed'][quote name='Scorch']What the hell do you want the manual to say?

"Put cursor over desired part of body and click left mouse for desired effect"[/quote]

PC game manuals have a reputation for being wicked-cool. Go check out the NWN or Starsiege manual and try to tell me different. It's just a nice little extra that I can oggle at during installation.[/quote]

Right, but those aren't FPS's.

[/quote]

I was referring to Starsiege: Tribes, which is a FPS (and yes I know there is also a normal Starsiege, my mistake for not being specific). But still, no matter the game/genre, it's a little expected to get a manual.
 
The HL1 manual pretty much covers it, and if you are not dumb as a rock you will notice that the first level is a subtle training area.
 
:shock::shock::shock::shock::shock::shock:

Holy....fucking....god.

I've been playinga few hours, and it's everything I could have ever wanted in a game. Beauty, Sound, Gameplay, Fun, Intensity, even humor (he keeps a ****** for a pet for chrissakes). It was worth the money for gold, and is definately my GOTY.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']
It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? shaq-fu that!

This is a major problem that is plaguing PC games - the fact that devs are making pc games like console games and are not properly taking advantage of the pc hardware. This was a problem in DX2 and in T3 where there were massive load times on a pc when there should have been none.[/quote]

Uhh dude, the game isn't run off of your hard drive, it is run on RAM, the hard drive works just like a cd-rom, the computer has to get the information from the hard drive and put it into memory, try copying 500 megs+ from one folder to another and you will find out it isn't instantaneous. The hard drive does not work like RAM otherwise you wouldn't need RAM. Although in theory you can use the hard drive as pseudo ram (see a swap file) you dont want to be doing this when you are in a gaming environment as hard drives simply are not fast enough to act as RAM. The size of the hard drive does not matter for load times/performance/etc, only the speed of the drive matters. Also if you think an entire game should be able to be rendered in memory while you are playing you are crazy.
 
I can see where Scrubking's coming from. Early on in the game, the loads are at the most inopportune times. Granted, there aren't enemies anywhere, but in mid-action, it will stop and load. It just throws off the gameplay, but once it starts up again, is it GREAT.

Running it on HIGH settings right now and it's ridiculous how good this game looks. Awesome sound as well. I've been keeping my finger on the screenshot button the whole time.
 
Have ANY of you guys bothered to play half-life 1? It loads in small, empty cooridors just like HL1 did.. no enemies around, so it's safe when it loads.

Also the "computer" sound or whatever someone said when you hit the use button is the exact same sound for HL1.. you guys cannot find any faults with the game, so you're criticizing it for loading? Geez. Just come along with the rest of us and admit that it's game of the year. It kicks the hell out of everything this year and probably most of next. Admit it, this thing makes Halo 2 its bitch. As much as I hate CS, so many more people play CS than Halo 2.. this thing is gonna sell a ton..
 
[quote name='Scrubking']WTF are you talking about? Load times on a pc are not acceptable. period.

It is ridiculous to spend an hour installing a game onto your huge hard drive to then have to endure load times - no matter how long. That is a major error on their part as far as I am concerned.

I have an 80gig HD and 1 gig of ram and you are telling me that I have to wait for a game to load? shaq-fu that!

This is a major problem that is plaguing PC games - the fact that devs are making pc games like console games and are not properly taking advantage of the pc hardware. This was a problem in DX2 and in T3 where there were massive load times on a pc when there should have been none.[/quote]

Wow, you have no idea how computers work, do you?

You think it just peels the 20MB map off the HDD and puts it on the RAM and then onto your monitor, don't you?

Well, the map file is not really a map, it is instuctions for the computer to build the map, and it uses those instructions to put several hundred MB of resources including textures and models to make the map.

It uses the CPU, RAM, HDD, VRAM, GPU, and several other components in the process of building the map.

I would tell you what "cache" means, but I think you are too stupid to understand.


You are such a fucking idiot, you pretend to have computer knowledge, and your arogance and stupidity is an insult to people that actually know how computers work.
 
Ok, I've been playing a lot more, here are some more impressions.

The riverbed race chapter was fucking brilliant, not a dull moment, and had some great puzzles and action.

The humor in this game is great (there are Xen chefs, complete with aprons and chef hats for chrissakes!)

If you want to see a really cool litlle detail, use the gravity gun to throw a paint can at someone. The realism is unparalled.
 
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