Half Life 2

Tyn · Post by **Tyn** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:33 pm

Is it just me, or wouldn't you expect that Half Life 2, one of the most hyped games over a long period ( 5 years isn't it now? ) would, well, be a little popular? So, if you were to set up servers around the world to handle an internet registration system that must be activated or the game wouldn't work, you wouldn't want to upset customers by having the UK and European server go down due to the popularity of the game would you?

Well, if you're Valve it seems that is an emphatic Hell Yeah! The server is now down, no message on the site to say it is down or anything, I found that out by searching a HL2 forum.

So I have just paid £35 for a new game which I can't play indefinatly. To say that I'm a little unpleased may be an understatement. Anyone else affected by this ballsup?

Harry_Mystic · Post by **Harry_Mystic** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:04 pm

I've had some problems too at the beginning, but after about 2 dozen tries I was in. So the whole procedure took little more than 1 hour. I agree, they had to planned better, maybe additional registration servers for he first week(s). Usually you go home with the new game, install and play. Not so this time.

But when I was in I forgot these problems...

Keep it trying, good luck.

dingo · Post by **dingo** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:53 pm

I've waited 2 yrs for the game, I'm happy enough to wait a few more days to buy the blasted thing. I hope they have fixed up the regisration issue by then

I'm more excited by then new version of the UT2004 mod, Red Orchestra.

www.redorchestramod.com

This is NOT just another WW2 sim ;)

saigumi · Post by **saigumi** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 6:34 pm

Waiting for it for 5 years? Valve kept it very hush hush until E3 of 2003 which was in the late summer.

Though HL itself was made 5 years ago.

I've been enjoying it and believe that STEAM-like systems is the way of the future for Corporate and Independent developers to be properly compensated without having all their IP ripped from them.

It has kinks now, but as always will get better.

dingo · Post by **dingo** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 9:56 pm

I haven't used steam yet but from what I hear isn't there the really big problem that you can't register without being online?

Sure this is becoming less and less of an issue these days but plenty of situations arise where someone might wish to player the single player version but not have internet access.

I don't think those people who live out in the bush (we have a lot of it in Australia) or people who don't have a dedicated internet connection should be burdened with a registration that needs to go online just to check a key or something.

Like I said, I haven't used steam yet so I might be competely wrong about this

niko · Post by **niko** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:23 am

dingo wrote:I haven't used steam yet but from what I hear isn't there the really big problem that you can't register without being online?

That's right. Because of this, at least on the german version, there were big stickers on the package with 'NOTICE: internet connection needed to play this game'.
The other problem is that every time you want to launch the hl2 application, it first tries to connect to your steam account. In the evening, this can last for about 10 minutes, even with a fast internet connection. That's not very funny.

Tyn · Post by **Tyn** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:21 am

You can run HL2 in offline mode, but there is one big problem, they don't let you do it unless your connection is down. Hmm, did they think that prehaps I want to play it in offline mode even when the connection is off! No, apparently.

I am warming to it. The friend network they have in there wouldn't be possible without steam, I know you can do it on other games with Gamespy but that means having to install a spyware packed Gamespy app. Screw that. It also gives them the option of having a ladder system like that had with Battle.net, that would be quality. Also, you pay for the key not the CD, this means that if you gently caress up your CD, you can login to steam with your CD key and download it back on your comp.

Waiting for it for 5 years? Valve kept it very hush hush until E3 of 2003 which was in the late summer.

You are right there, but I think it was obvious they were going to make it, the silence built up a kind of suspence, are they actually going to make a sequal or what? If there wasn't that kind of anticipation then when they announced HL2, everyone would have forgotten about it and not really be that enthused about it. That's my view anyway.

dawasw · Post by **dawasw** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:33 am

I just finished hl2, and i must say, it was MUCH better than Doom 3, but also didn't make it what i wanted. Game is definately TOO SHOOOORT !! Also the main disadvantages of playing half life 2:

1) the biggest thing i am angry with hl 2 WEAPONS, they are just boring, not interesting, not original (only bugbait is cool, and gravity gun) but the rest ??!! where is Sniper Rifle?? where are guinea pigs from aliens??? where is gauss gun ???? also satchel charges to make traps?? why they didnt pt them in here... there are about 5 LESS weapons than in half life 1...

2) monsters!!! NOT MANY types of them there were, passing through city 17... Strider, Combine, Crabs, Antlions, and Antlions guards, are really not too much (i missed a few, but it is really boring to shoot at the same targets the whole game)

3) some hmm strange motives, when Alyx and Eli are talking they talk nice with themseves , but sometimes i feel like they are very peacefull and dont worry about the war... also they sometimes look like you aren't standing next to them, talking to each other, then 30 second and Alyx finally looks at you... (maybe it is in cause of my computer swaping in hl 2 ? i have just a 1 ghz)

Well i must say i am dissapointed, but not as strong as by doom 3. Doom 3 is nothing and it is weak. Half Life 2 is a nice , but really too short game. (well specialy hl2 motives are cool, i liked Barney & Dr. Kleiner the most, and everytime something funny happens )

My mark 7+ /10 (where Doom 3 got just 5 /10 )

dingo · Post by **dingo** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:06 am

I did like the character animations, the vertex shaders for the faces were particularly good, a real sign of things to come.

I think, Dawasw you expected too much or believed the hype or both :)

Just because it takes 5 years to make the game doesn't mean it won;t suffer from some problems (actually it could be deemed more likely to suffer because it took so long to complete)

No game will be as big as the hype, if it was why would they need to advertise it so heavily?

I did get the feeling that they could make HL3 in a relatively short time (1.5-2yrs) if they wanted to because they didn't even need to make new guns for the second one so why for the third?

I really don't see why they won't release HL3 within two years, the plot is there, the art assets are already in place (ie how many more characters would you need to create - not many) etc etc

vermeer · Post by **vermeer** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:01 am

in 2 years we may be speaking about another level of things, in what is characters...

never winter took 5 years...and a load of people...It had segmented arms, quite visible, and other problems, but I liked it..is just i don't expect too much of a game, and so I get later nice surprises...

dawasw · Post by **dawasw** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 6:29 pm

Well i was expecting a lot from HL2. Even i was a big doom 3 fan, i just lived with doom, but when i played the game for the first time (even in a bit good enviroment, high details, speakers) it didn't make it what i wanted. Bloody hell!! IT WAS TERRIBLE, AWFUL, BLOODY FRUSTATING< BORING< ONE of the worst game I have ever played. And Id says that it is their best game ever?! The graphics, yes it was great, superb, some weapons also were nice, some monsters... but after 15 minutes of playing i had already known that they had screwed it up a lot. The game itself was a totally dirty soap.
(dirty soap = sh**)

But only hope after Doom 3 was HL 2. And i must say i was wondering if they could make such great single player FPS like in 1998 the first part of it. I must say that they did it almost, because the story is great, motives are awsome but it could be much more of everything in Half Life 2.

There is only one game, which has everything what i like to see, use, have. It is unique and special. It is wonderful, cool and gives me a sort of great feelings when I play it. It is Morrowind.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 11:33 pm

I didn't mind Doom3, didn't bother finishing it though

You have to look at Id's history, their games follow a certain fomula. Look at Q3. No real single player apart from a deathmatch ladder. But it did introduce a great engine with really good features. Then heaps of games built on the engine by other companies. Then finally Id did an inhouse one, RTCW - a damn fine FPS IMO.

So expect to see a bunch of third party games using the Doom3 engine. Why not the Source engine I hear you say? Well Valve and Vivendi have so much fun sueing each other they don't have time to sue someone else

I do like the look of the Unreal 3 engine too but I think it will appear more often on consoles and Doom3 will appear on the PC more.

So what I'm saying is, from past experience expect to see the Doom3 enigine appear all over the place. I do think they might need to ramp up the physics to compete with Source though

Final Word - some of the best games IMO were released on the Amiga500 and the early PCs

dawasw · Post by **dawasw** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:51 pm

Yes fine, but i talk here about what game is better and more well done , i don't takl here about engines, wich two of HL 2 and Doom 3 are great.
I mean game is fantastic when you want to play it all the time , even if the graphics look like s.... For example game like Resident Evil 2 , the engine itself doesn't look very well, specially thecharacter renders, but game itself is fantastic and you want to finish it twice.

There are a lot of old games which are incredible but with such a "brick graphics" . For example Daggerfall one of the greatest RPG from old games i've ever played. Graphics itself is -> 1 pixel = 1 brick . But it has such great, big big world , and you fell "free" in this game.

Also i don't agree with your opinions "Guest". Q 3 was not only great in cause of engine, look at it, people loved the Deatchmatches, and online, multiplayer games. Single player wasn't needed there. Well we can say there was this bot skirmish matches etc. but it was only for train to show your friends what tactics you have learned with which weapon.

RTCW <- loool you think it was , a damn good fps?? It was WORST THAN DOOM 3 FOR ME. The worst fps i have ever played, it is on the bottom of bottoms in my "weakness games abyss"...

Now i just wait for the Oblivion, if it wouldn't be good i don't care, i will play it neither, because i love Elder Scrolls.

Masdus · Post by **Masdus** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:30 pm

I'm waiting for Oblivion too, but i expect it to take at least two more years. Elder Scroll games are great, although daggerfall was in my opinion superior to morrowind in many respects.