the eve of hl2

omegaslayer said:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v255/drew2k/alyx_underwear.jpg

Has anyone noticed this? :dodgy:

That's pretty funny. I'm sure my video card doesn't render that.

Goddammit. It appears that there's no collectors edition in shops of Finland. Well I was going to buy the cheaper version anyway... I hope I'll get it today, otherwise I'm going to explode...

Pvt.Scythe said:
Goddammit. It appears that there's no collectors edition in shops of Finland. Well I was going to buy the cheaper version anyway... I hope I'll get it today, otherwise I'm going to explode...

Neither the shirt nor "book" is impressive. The only difference is HL:S (And possibly DoD:S). I also heard some guy was porting over hl2 models to HL:S :smile:

However, I hear (courtesy of Vash) that the book "Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar" is awesome.

Also, be forewarned that buying the retail versions makes steam ask you for the f**king disc every time you go to run anything that may have come on the discs (HL2, CS:S, HL:S).
I'm fairly sure they'll patch it, but I think in some aspect they're just trying to be dicks.

Autolycus over at VERC said that the disc thing was Vivendi's decision
as opposed to Valve's. Does sound pretty lame, I hate having to put
disks in to play games, so fingers crossed they fix it for you.

Neural Scan said:
Left me with the same feeling I had completing the first one...

whispers I haven't completed the first one :eek:

? quoting $loth
whispers I haven't completed the first one :eek:

Do it, now.

ReNo: figures.

Just finished the game, about 5 mins ago.

Seriously, I am speechless.

I see alot of people bashing Valve. Hype is a dangerous thing, and I was quite nervous when I started playing; wondering if it would deliver. There were a few bugs with my game, and the load times were somewhat of a pain. All that aside. This was a goddamn masterpeice! Honestly, I don't even think you can call this a game. It's much more than that. Valve truly did raise the bar.

Now.... I can't wait to go pick apart there levels. Anyone know how to decompile these things?

I would've bought it over the steam, but I'm lacking something very essential namely a broadband connection... Damn Vivendi. I hate it when the CD-RoM(or DVD-RoM) speeds up. Both noise and the delay... I would've wanted the HL:S. Oh well. All is not lost. I just wish I could get to the gameshop. grr... Downsides of living in a forest on an island.

Pvt.Scythe said:
I would've bought it over the steam, but I'm lacking something very essential namely a broadband connection... Damn Vivendi. I hate it when the CD-RoM(or DVD-RoM) speeds up. Both noise and the delay... I would've wanted the HL:S. Oh well. All is not lost. I just wish I could get to the gameshop. grr... Downsides of living in a forest on an island.

The thing is, it really is just a nuisance. It only checks for the CD at the very beginning of launching the game (about the time to steam window comes up that says it's launching). And after that, you can take the thing out, it never checks again only when you boot the program up, because it IS using the gcf files.

However, even if you install off a DVD/CD it takes a while for steam to go through and Authenticate them with your account. I have a broadband connection and it took about 15 minutes to authenticate HL2, CS:S, and HL:S.

By the way, when I picked up my copy, the store I pre-ordered from had a huge stack of CEs for sale to whom ever, but no regular versions, they were stocked out for pre-orders.

Please tell me it needs to authenticate the files only once... Oh and if someone with a dial-up would tell me how long it took for them to authenticate it would be helpful. And I just heard from a friend of mine that they(the place I'm getting the darn new messiah of FPS games) have HL2 in stock. I shall shut up for now. Anticipation makes me too chatty(or s**tty)...

Pvt.Scythe said:
Please tell me it needs to authenticate the files only once... Oh and if someone with a dial-up would tell me how long it took for them to authenticate it would be helpful. And I just heard from a friend of mine that they(the place I'm getting the darn new messiah of FPS games) have HL2 in stock. I shall shut up for now. Anticipation makes me too chatty(or s**tty)...

Yes, authentication only needs to happen once. (Thus the reason why the CD being in the drive doesn't make sense)

If it's vivendi's idea and valve doesn't like it, why can't valve just release an auto-download patch on day 1 that means you don't have to have the disc in?

scary_jeff said:
If it's vivendi's idea and valve doesn't like it, why can't valve just release an auto-download patch on day 1 that means you don't have to have the disc in?

i promise i am not making fun of you jeff, but when i hear/read questions like this an old commercial goes through my head "Why ask why?"

scary_jeff said:
If it's vivendi's idea and valve doesn't like it, why can't valve just release an auto-download patch on day 1 that means you don't have to have the disc in?

I've noticed valve likes to take sweet ass time. Which wouldn't be so bad if they had proper press coverage. Oh and for anyone's information, E3 is NOT proper press coverage and neither is every half year a representative giving a paragraph of information. The company is a complete recluse even on it's own network.

Bah! UK Collector's version is released on 10th December. :sad: How come we always get the crappy end of the stick?

Adam Hawkins said:
Bah! UK Collector's version is released on 10th December. :sad: How come we always get the crappy end of the stick?

Because the company it's coming from is 5000 (?) + miles away from you?

But seriously, the collectors edition really isn't anything special. See when I first heard about it the WarCraft 3 gift set popped into my head. And this is nothing like that. I think the only real benefit with CE over the normal retail is it's only a DVD (however, I guess in Europe the normal retail will be a DVD too) and you're allowed to play HL:S (which people are messing with to make it HL2 looking)

Unless you guys are getting some amazing version that wasn't released here.

Here, in Holland, the normal retail version is DVD. I got a T-shirt along with it too, although I expected that to be for Collectors Edition only.

Nevermind, I'm happy with the game and the T-shirt. Almost ritual, playing HL2 with a devoted T-shirt... :razz:

Well I've just finished it and what a ride! The game was excellent up to the last chapter, which I thought lacked somewhat compared to the rest. And that ending?!Could we have expected anything less from valve. :rolleyes:

Over all one of the best games I've played. Not overly long like the first HL or Far Cry (what a marathon for such a s**tty ending, did get to shoot the bad guy though :biggrin: ), but not so short you feel ripped off. A perfect balance of action and suspense with an excellent, if somewhat plagarised, story. The gravity gun, what a work of art!

Now all we need is the full, finished SDK so we can start mapping with all the resources available.

While on mapping, has anyone downloaded the new modelling program? I have and I can't run the damned thing in anything less than the highest resolution available on my PC. The labels are so tiny I can't read them!

Crono said:
But seriously, the collectors edition really isn't anything special. See when I first heard about it the WarCraft 3 gift set popped into my head. And this is nothing like that. I think the only real benefit with CE over the normal retail is it's only a DVD (however, I guess in Europe the normal retail will be a DVD too) and you're allowed to play HL:S (which people are messing with to make it HL2 looking)

Unless you guys are getting some amazing version that wasn't released here.

So what's included in the collectors edition?

In America:

A XL black HL2 shirt, a BOOKLET containing exerpts from the Prima stragity guide and the book "Raising The Bar". and a DVD inside a jewel case... with a large misleading box.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Crono</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>In America:

A XL black HL2 shirt, a BOOKLET containing exerpts from the Prima stragity guide and the book "Raising The Bar". and a DVD inside a jewel case... with a large misleading box. </DIV></DIV>
I want the t-shirt! If anyone in the UK got it I would probably buy it off them!

If you want an hl2 t shirt that bad buy a plain black t shirt and have the hl2 logo put on. It'd probably be cheaper.
It's in the middle of the chest if you were wondering.

I just beat the game - wow. That must be the best ending of all... time?

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Cassius</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I just beat the game - wow. That must be the best ending of all... time?</DIV></DIV>
just finished too.... WOW! awsome game!

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Crono</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>If you want an hl2 t shirt that bad buy a plain black t shirt and have the hl2 logo put on. It'd probably be cheaper.
It's in the middle of the chest if you were wondering. </DIV></DIV>
Might just do that :biggrin:

I think some of the map layouts or something change randomly. One time
I was playing through the prison and came upon the kitchen. Some ovens
had been moved aside, and there was a leaking gas main. I ignored it,
of course, and walked right over it when a sentry gun shot at me and
ignited me in flame. Brilliant! Well, when I reloaded, the ovens were
all there; I couldn't move them either. I remember some other instances
were stuff changed slightly. Maybe Valve's attempt at adding a bit of
replay value, or the products of a paranoid mind? :smile:

Oh, and I beat HL2 too! Ending was craziness. Really great build-up to that moment too.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Campaignjunkie</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext> the products of a paranoid mind? :smile:
</DIV></DIV>
That's what my money is on :biggrin:

Just validated. Do I have to stay online whilst it says "decrypting files"?

EDIT: Never mind - done now, although it took me best part of an hour.

I just finished too now ... haven't had time over the past couple of
days but now I got it finally done... I must agree the ending was
awesome ... can't wait for hl3 lol :biggrin: