My thoughts on Half Life 2

[Guest]

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Now nearly half way through the game , I really think HL2 not only has
the best graphics but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
True its your basic run and gun shooter , but would have been better if
it wasn't so linear.
The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.

 

[Guest]

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SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:

> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.

Far Cry does NOT surpass HL2.

How many GOTY awards did Far Cry win?

 

[Guest]

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Far Cry really should have gotten more attention than it actually got.
You can even pick up a copy for under $20.00!
The awards it should have gotten was for Incredible AI, Amazing
Visuals and water Effects. Gameplay was not original ...basic Shooter ,
but the physics holy mackeral.

 

[Guest]

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SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
> Now nearly half way through the game , I really think HL2 not only has
> the best graphics but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
> True its your basic run and gun shooter , but would have been better if
> it wasn't so linear.
> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.

Try the FEAR demo. Then tell us how good HL2 is.

 

[schrodinger]

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<SamuelF566@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123359838.421051.101000@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Now nearly half way through the game , I really think HL2 not only has
> the best graphics but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
> True its your basic run and gun shooter , but would have been better if
> it wasn't so linear.
> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>

Give me FarCry's open levels and dynamic gameplay with HL2's attention to
detail etc and you have another Deus Ex.

 

[sToic]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On 6 Aug 2005 17:55:50 -0700, flightlessvacuum@gmail.com wrote:

>SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>
>Far Cry does NOT surpass HL2.
>

Far Cry has hang-gliders, jeeps, armed speedboats, etc. It
has HUGE areas. Remember the huge areas? Entire islands, the tree
houses over the ape preserve, large compounds, shooting from the top
of an island compound to the beach far below, fighting your way up a
WWII aircraft carrier, etc. Far Cry had a sense of scale.

HL2 had air boats, a silly gravity gun, and cramped levels
that reminded me of waiting in line at a popular ride in a theme park.
About the only neat thing in the game was the phereomone bug bombs.
Everything else was a lackluster rehash with pretty textures.

Far Cry does surpass HL2 as a game. HL2 fell into the
Id/Quake paradigm of designing a superb graphics engine, creating a
half-ass game to demo the engine, and then make money licensing the
engine to real game designers.


>How many GOTY awards did Far Cry win?

I'm at the point where I no longer trust any kind of 'formal'
award. I am finding customer reviews to be more accurate and useful.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

x-no-archive: yes

SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:

> I really think HL2 not only has the best graphics

a graphic engine which still has "legacy" code from id's quake
engine

> but also the best physics in gameplay ever.

again not code they made themselves, its from the well renowned
havok engine

the only thing they made all alone was steam and you bet that
is really what makes them proud

hl2 creation was a means to an end... and that end is steam

--
post made in a steam-free computer
i said "NO" to valve and steam

 

[Guest]

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x-no-archive: yes

stoic wrote:

> half-ass game to demo the engine, and then make money
> licensing the engine to real game designers.

let me correct you in this one
yes creating good pc game titles in not what moves valve but
neither is making game engine, that's not what will make them
powerfull and rich cause the only reason they do what they do
is to spread steam
steam is really what will give them lots of money

valve knows very well... its not games, its not engines but
rather steam that will make them millionaires
millionaires just like next door company... the company they
are using as model... whats its name? ... ah microsoft
ending up being the "microsoft of games" with monopy and the
total freedom of asking whatever price for their own products
that's valve goal in life

--
post made in a steam-free computer
i said "NO" to valve and steam

 

[Guest]

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I heard that "steamKILLER" <sayNO2steam@yahoo.com> said:

>x-no-archive: yes
>
>SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> I really think HL2 not only has the best graphics
>
>a graphic engine which still has "legacy" code from id's quake
>engine

Cite?
>
>> but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
>
>again not code they made themselves, its from the well renowned
>havok engine

Yeah, and no software uses existing libraries....

NEXT!

 

[shawk]

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"Destroy" <ask@meplease.com> wrote in message
news:659Je.801$32.583@tornado.rdc-kc.rr.com...
> SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>> Now nearly half way through the game , I really think HL2 not only has
>> the best graphics but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
>> True its your basic run and gun shooter , but would have been better if
>> it wasn't so linear.
>> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>
> Try the FEAR demo. Then tell us how good HL2 is.
>

OK, I've tried the FEAR demo and HL2 is excellent

I'll buy FEAR but it does appear to be another on-the-rails shooter with
decent (Riddick-like) graphics and improved AI. It doesn't take anything
away from HL2 (so far).

 

[Guest]

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Schrodinger wrote:
> <SamuelF566@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1123359838.421051.101000@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
>>Now nearly half way through the game , I really think HL2 not only has
>>the best graphics but also the best physics in gameplay ever.
>>True its your basic run and gun shooter , but would have been better if
>>it wasn't so linear.
>> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>>
>
>
> Give me FarCry's open levels and dynamic gameplay with HL2's attention to
> detail etc and you have another Deus Ex.

Don't forget the interaction: I miss hacking those Deus Ex computer
terminals, using the cameras, etc.
>
>

 

[Guest]

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SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:

> Far Cry really should have gotten more attention than it actually got.
> You can even pick up a copy for under $20.00!


It's current bargain bin price is a reflection of the games quality or
lackthereof.

 

[Guest]

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stoic wrote:
> On 6 Aug 2005 17:55:50 -0700, flightlessvacuum@gmail.com wrote:
>
>
>>SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>>
>>Far Cry does NOT surpass HL2.
>>
>
>
> Far Cry has hang-gliders, jeeps, armed speedboats, etc. It
> has HUGE areas. Remember the huge areas? Entire islands, the tree
> houses over the ape preserve, large compounds, shooting from the top
> of an island compound to the beach far below, fighting your way up a
> WWII aircraft carrier, etc. Far Cry had a sense of scale.
>
> HL2 had air boats, a silly gravity gun, and cramped levels
> that reminded me of waiting in line at a popular ride in a theme park.
> About the only neat thing in the game was the phereomone bug bombs.
> Everything else was a lackluster rehash with pretty textures.
>
> Far Cry does surpass HL2 as a game. HL2 fell into the
> Id/Quake paradigm of designing a superb graphics engine, creating a
> half-ass game to demo the engine, and then make money licensing the
> engine to real game designers.

I gotta agree. I liked HL2 a lot, but I haven't been interested in
playing it through more than a second time; it feels as though I've
found all of its surprises already. Farcry's large maps may reveal some
more surprises on my fourth or fifth replay.

HL2's multiplayer feels cramped next to Farcry's. Maybe it's me-- I love
sniping-- but Farcry really has wonderful multiplayer, with vehicles and
everything. I go onto a Counterstrike game, and bangbangbang, I'm dead
in like two seconds because everyone _else_ has reconned the tiny widdle
map already. In Farcry, I can actually explore a bit, find a good spot,
gauge the gameplay a little... In other words, I get to use my brains
more than my trigger finger.

Granted, _Deus Ex_ was the best ever. And Farcry's story wasn't exactly
new or novel. But I sure liked it more than HL2 or Doom 3.

>
>
>
>>How many GOTY awards did Far Cry win?
>
>
> I'm at the point where I no longer trust any kind of 'formal'
> award. I am finding customer reviews to be more accurate and useful.
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

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<flightlessvacuum@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123409104.959448.305280@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> It's current bargain bin price is a reflection of the games quality or
> lackthereof.
>


I guess the length of time it's been out for compared to Half-Life 2 is not
a factor?

 

[Guest]

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On 7 Aug 2005 03:05:05 -0700, flightlessvacuum@gmail.com wrote:

>SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Far Cry really should have gotten more attention than it actually got.
>> You can even pick up a copy for under $20.00!
>
>
>It's current bargain bin price is a reflection of the games quality or
>lackthereof.

Yea, then how come the coveted Deus Ex was $20 within the same time
after release, and has been under $10 for the last 3 years?

I thought Far Cry was great. It did some things with freedom of
movement that made HL2 and Doom3 seem overly scripted.
Funny how this game evokes such night/day reactions. I figured any fan
of FPS games would love it, unless they can't handle not being led by
the nose through endless corridors.

 

[Guest]

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Schrodinger wrote:
>
>
> Give me FarCry's open levels and dynamic gameplay with HL2's attention to
> detail etc and you have another Deus Ex.
>

1) What dynamic gameplay?
2) Do you mean "big areas" instead of "open areas"?
3) How would the combination be anything like Deus Ex whatsoever? Both
games have a single linear plot.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
> Far Cry really should have gotten more attention than it actually got.
> You can even pick up a copy for under $20.00!
> The awards it should have gotten was for Incredible AI, Amazing
> Visuals and water Effects. Gameplay was not original ...basic Shooter ,
> but the physics holy mackeral.
>

What physics? HL2's physics kicked its ass. It's not even a discussion
point.

--
Walter Mitty
-
Useless, waste of money research of the day : http://tinyurl.com/3tdeu
" Format wars could 'confuse users'"
http://www.tinyurl.com

 

[nostromo]

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Thus spake stoic <foo@foo.com>, Sat, 06 Aug 2005 23:11:43 -0400, Anno
Domini:

>On 6 Aug 2005 17:55:50 -0700, flightlessvacuum@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>SamuelF566@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> The Only game that surpasses it currently is Far Cry.
>>
>>Far Cry does NOT surpass HL2.
>>
>
> Far Cry has hang-gliders, jeeps, armed speedboats, etc. It
>has HUGE areas. Remember the huge areas? Entire islands, the tree
>houses over the ape preserve, large compounds, shooting from the top
>of an island compound to the beach far below, fighting your way up a
>WWII aircraft carrier, etc. Far Cry had a sense of scale.
>
> HL2 had air boats, a silly gravity gun, and cramped levels
>that reminded me of waiting in line at a popular ride in a theme park.
>About the only neat thing in the game was the phereomone bug bombs.
>Everything else was a lackluster rehash with pretty textures.
>
> Far Cry does surpass HL2 as a game. HL2 fell into the
>Id/Quake paradigm of designing a superb graphics engine, creating a
>half-ass game to demo the engine, and then make money licensing the
>engine to real game designers.
>
>
>>How many GOTY awards did Far Cry win?
>
> I'm at the point where I no longer trust any kind of 'formal'
>award. I am finding customer reviews to be more accurate and useful.

All trolling aside, I'd have to agree. I played FC right through; every
level with baited breath & excitement, eagerly looking forward to what was
around the corner (& I *hate* the great outdoors, the beach & tropical
islands in RL). I've stopped HL2 twice now since I got it at xmas (up to
"Follow Freeman!") & may only finish out of guilt because it was a pressie
from my daughter; Doom3 I've played about 3 levels period - probably never
go back to it.

All wanky technology, AA/AF/lighting/pixel shading/graphics engine BS aside,
FC was clearly the superior *game* of the 3, imnsho.

--
A killfile is a friend for life.

Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 17:40:35 +1000, Nostromo
<nostromo@spamfree.net.au> wrote:

>All wanky technology, AA/AF/lighting/pixel shading/graphics engine BS aside,
>FC was clearly the superior *game* of the 3, imnsho.

IMO, all FC had going for it was the wanky technology, the gameplay
left me completely cold. HL2 was far more immersive and fun despite it
being more linear than FC.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

 

[Guest]

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"Nostromo" <nostromo@spamfree.net.au> wrote in message
news8ebf1176sum054v94lfmr45aeko5hhr19@4ax.com...
> Thus spake stoic <foo@foo.com>, Sat, 06 Aug 2005 23:11:43 -0400, Anno
> Domini:

snip

>
> All trolling aside, I'd have to agree. I played FC right through; every
> level with baited breath & excitement, eagerly looking forward to what was
> around the corner (& I *hate* the great outdoors, the beach & tropical
> islands in RL). I've stopped HL2 twice now since I got it at xmas (up to
> "Follow Freeman!") & may only finish out of guilt because it was a pressie
> from my daughter; Doom3 I've played about 3 levels period - probably never
> go back to it.
>
> All wanky technology, AA/AF/lighting/pixel shading/graphics engine BS
> aside,
> FC was clearly the superior *game* of the 3, imnsho.
>
> --
> A killfile is a friend for life.
>
> Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.


RL ?
I really don't know what it was about Doom 3 but I stopped around level 3
also. I am not sure if it was tedium or boredom. I may go back sometime, but
I am in no hurry. After recently discovering Deus Ex I have worn it out over
the last couple of months. I did the same thing with Far Cry about 6 months
ago. I may be ready for some more of that. I think I have played through HL2
about 3 times and probably won't go back until a sequel. I am watching the
comments here and other places about Fear and Area 51. I will probably head
to one of those places next.

Mox

 

[schrodinger]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Walter Mitty" <mitticus@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:3lmilrF135em0U1@uni-berlin.de...
> Schrodinger wrote:
>>
>>
>> Give me FarCry's open levels and dynamic gameplay with HL2's attention to
>> detail etc and you have another Deus Ex.
>
> 1) What dynamic gameplay?
> 2) Do you mean "big areas" instead of "open areas"?
> 3) How would the combination be anything like Deus Ex whatsoever? Both
> games have a single linear plot.

Yeh, well, it would need a dynamic plot too.

 

[nostromo]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

Thus spake "Mox 13" <nospam@earthlink.net>, Sun, 07 Aug 2005 17:49:54 GMT,
Anno Domini:

>
>"Nostromo" <nostromo@spamfree.net.au> wrote in message
>news8ebf1176sum054v94lfmr45aeko5hhr19@4ax.com...
>> Thus spake stoic <foo@foo.com>, Sat, 06 Aug 2005 23:11:43 -0400, Anno
>> Domini:
>
>snip
>
>>
>> All trolling aside, I'd have to agree. I played FC right through; every
>> level with baited breath & excitement, eagerly looking forward to what was
>> around the corner (& I *hate* the great outdoors, the beach & tropical
>> islands in RL). I've stopped HL2 twice now since I got it at xmas (up to
>> "Follow Freeman!") & may only finish out of guilt because it was a pressie
>> from my daughter; Doom3 I've played about 3 levels period - probably never
>> go back to it.
>>
>> All wanky technology, AA/AF/lighting/pixel shading/graphics engine BS
>> aside,
>> FC was clearly the superior *game* of the 3, imnsho.
>>
>> --
>> A killfile is a friend for life.
>>
>> Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.
>
>
>RL ?
>I really don't know what it was about Doom 3 but I stopped around level 3
>also. I am not sure if it was tedium or boredom. I may go back sometime, but
>I am in no hurry. After recently discovering Deus Ex I have worn it out over
>the last couple of months. I did the same thing with Far Cry about 6 months
>ago. I may be ready for some more of that. I think I have played through HL2
>about 3 times and probably won't go back until a sequel. I am watching the
>comments here and other places about Fear and Area 51. I will probably head
>to one of those places next.
>
>Mox

Have you played Unreal II btw? I certainly got further with it in one
sitting than either HL2 or Doom3 & it should still look very nice on today's
cards. Should be able to pick it up very cheap these days. Yes, it's linear,
mission based, but some of the missions are much more 'open' & just *feel*
more non-linear...ymmv.

--
A killfile is a friend for life.

Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Nostromo" <nostromo@spamfree.net.au> wrote in message
news:59vcf1lma0ul31ii8glep5phlvgavlj522@4ax.com...
> Thus spake "Mox 13" <nospam@earthlink.net>, Sun, 07 Aug 2005 17:49:54 GMT,
> Anno Domini:
>
>>
>>"Nostromo" <nostromo@spamfree.net.au> wrote in message
>>news8ebf1176sum054v94lfmr45aeko5hhr19@4ax.com...
>>> Thus spake stoic <foo@foo.com>, Sat, 06 Aug 2005 23:11:43 -0400, Anno
>>> Domini:
>>
>>snip
>>
>>>
>>> All trolling aside, I'd have to agree. I played FC right through; every
>>> level with baited breath & excitement, eagerly looking forward to what
>>> was
>>> around the corner (& I *hate* the great outdoors, the beach & tropical
>>> islands in RL). I've stopped HL2 twice now since I got it at xmas (up to
>>> "Follow Freeman!") & may only finish out of guilt because it was a
>>> pressie
>>> from my daughter; Doom3 I've played about 3 levels period - probably
>>> never
>>> go back to it.
>>>
>>> All wanky technology, AA/AF/lighting/pixel shading/graphics engine BS
>>> aside,
>>> FC was clearly the superior *game* of the 3, imnsho.
>>>
>>> --
>>> A killfile is a friend for life.
>>>
>>> Replace 'spamfree' with the other word for 'maze' to reply via email.
>>
>>
>>RL ?
>>I really don't know what it was about Doom 3 but I stopped around level 3
>>also. I am not sure if it was tedium or boredom. I may go back sometime,
>>but
>>I am in no hurry. After recently discovering Deus Ex I have worn it out
>>over
>>the last couple of months. I did the same thing with Far Cry about 6
>>months
>>ago. I may be ready for some more of that. I think I have played through
>>HL2
>>about 3 times and probably won't go back until a sequel. I am watching the
>>comments here and other places about Fear and Area 51. I will probably
>>head
>>to one of those places next.
>>
>>Mox
>
> Have you played Unreal II btw? I certainly got further with it in one
> sitting than either HL2 or Doom3 & it should still look very nice on
> today's
> cards. Should be able to pick it up very cheap these days. Yes, it's
> linear,
> mission based, but some of the missions are much more 'open' & just *feel*
> more non-linear...ymmv.

Yep I had a pretty good time with U 2. Maybe time for a revisit with that
one.

Mox

 

[sketch]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

> I thought Far Cry was great. It did some things with freedom of
> movement that made HL2 and Doom3 seem overly scripted.
> Funny how this game evokes such night/day reactions. I figured any fan
> of FPS games would love it, unless they can't handle not being led by
> the nose through endless corridors.

I liked the gameplay choices, too. Seemed like there were always had a
handful of ways to approach most situations, especially in the outdoor
areas.

My only gripe about Far Cry was the checkpoint save system. Was a much
better game the second time through with both the 1.2 update and the
developers' save game hack.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

Schrodinger wrote:
> "Walter Mitty" <mitticus@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3lmilrF135em0U1@uni-berlin.de...
>
>>Schrodinger wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Give me FarCry's open levels and dynamic gameplay with HL2's attention to
>>>detail etc and you have another Deus Ex.
>>
>>1) What dynamic gameplay?
>>2) Do you mean "big areas" instead of "open areas"?
>>3) How would the combination be anything like Deus Ex whatsoever? Both
>>games have a single linear plot.
>
>
> Yeh, well, it would need a dynamic plot too.

Here's what I figure it'd need.

1. Big areas, including big open areas, offering multiple "paths"
through the individual maps.

2. Range of gameplay-- one can be stealthy, violent, whatever.

3. A wide range of player 'skills,' or potential actions the player can
take. In _Deus Ex_, this included entering codes in doors, "hacking"
computer terminals, using remote cameras to scope out rooms, hacking
robots to attack enemies (in DX:IW especially). (This really made Deus
Ex more fun, and I wish it'd be implemented in the later game engines.)

4. The game experience could change depending on the players' actions.
For example, as one progressd in DX:IW, various factions treated you
differently if you helped or hindered them. I din't think this made much
of a difference in the game, which (like the first) boiled down into a
branch-point of three possible endings. But this aspect could be
implemented more effectively.