ITS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think it's possible to make satellite non-laggy.

Satellite is a big no no for games due to how it distributes data.
Rather than giving a constant flow of a small amount of data, which is
how most methods work, it gives large amounts of data in bursts. This
is unsuitable for gaming because it needs to be getting frequent
updates about player locations and the like, as opposed to infrequent
but large amounts of data.

I'm sure if you could host a HL2DM server for the snarkpit a fair few
of us would use it, but I'd recommend you set a small player limit (8
or something) and possibly password it so you don't get loads of
randoms popping in and abusing it.

how does one go about changing the name, player limit, password, etc.?
does this require a dedicated server? does a dedicated server require
its own steam id with hl2 installed?

I think you can change some of that stuff in the console, commands like max_players and stuff like that. I dunno though, there should be a way to do it in create server, but I guess that it's so laggy that valve thought not to add that kind of support for non-dedicated servers.

I'm pretty sure the console will work though.

I believe any steam account can create a dedicated server, you just
need to download the source dedicated server which should be listed in
your games list. By running that you should get options to set the map
cycle, max players, etc...

unfortunately, if i were to start a dedicated server it would be using
my steam ticket, no problem... until i start hl2dm, because that
invalidates the ticket in use by the dedicated server, after a while it
will ask for a login for the dedicated server, therefore making it
impossible for me to have a dedicated server without being the snarkpit
martyr. :sad: oh well, who can do it? someone else!

provided it is possible to have a dedicated server w/o the game
installed(which im guessing its not), if i had both my computers
running(my 15" monitor died a while back) i could have a dedicated
server and play in it too. but this is not the case, oh well.

If you're going to play it at the same time you start a normal server.

What do you think this is? Jedi Outcast?

This rocks, and there is nothing more fun than playing catch with a filing cabnet for a minute until you get tired, throw it out of reach, and then gun down the guy. I also enjoyed blowing up explosive barrels people were carrying around like fools. The lag is not too bad on smaller servers, and even at its worst it's nothing that can't be handled. I'll be playing this instead of CSS for at least the next three weeks...

I'll be playing this instead of CSS for at least the next three weeks...

Three weeks of only two maps?

I'd go with a few weeks of not playing it, and waiting for all the delicious new maps to come out! ^^ Hopefully Valve will release some tasty new DM ones, and not just have us regular folk map for ourselves. Is anyone thinking of remaking an original hldm map?

I'm easily entertained, besides I'm certain we'll be seeing more maps soon from either the community or Valve. Besides, I think the maps we have so far are more than fine at this juncture. I am a huge fan of the nova prospekt one.

Overwatch is pretty poorly designed, with only one route to the top
floor of the building that could easily be guarded with the RPG,
Grenades and explosive barrels up there. Its a simple job to block it
reasonably well to slow attacker's progress and make them easy
pickings. Lockdown is far nicer in terms of layout, and it has more
solid cover that should stop it being a physics spam fest once everyone
gets over the novelty.

Seems to me that Overwatch is a 4 player king of the hill style map while Lockdown is a 8-12 player kickass map. I don't know about the top floor in Overwatch being easily camped, as in an 8 player game I lasted all of like 20 seconds up there without being killed. And its not a physics spam fest; there's a reason you start with the grav gun. It's the whole point of the game, plus its awesome.

I agree, Lockdown is much better. It also seems to run better for me :razz: Not as many objects in Lockdown, it's much more tactical (best with about 4 people). I found I had a lot more fun in Lockdown than Overwatch. Overwatch is full of large objects and it looks a lot more rushed. Overwatch is good for a bit of insane fun but I see it getting old, fast... I haven't yet tried it with fewer players yet though so I may be wrong :smile:

I'm sure there's gonna be some nice classic style DM maps though. There's a bit in hl2 where you move along platforms and walkways and up ladders to reach the surface or something, there's Combine almost every step of the way and the first part is done by a horizontally moving platform thing with loads of barrels on it (it's a particularly memorable part for me, I think it was in Follow Freeman, I'm not sure). I think that something in that style would make a brilliant DM map :smile:

And its not a physics spam fest; there's a reason you start with the
grav gun. It's the whole point of the game, plus its awesome.

Yeah, the point of the game is a physics spam fest, and I don't
think thats quite awesome. Its fun and all, but I'd prefer it to be
less reliant on the novelty of the gravity gun. I would at LEAST like
to see it as a server variable rather than forcing it always on, it
would be nice to see how it plays with only the other guns being used.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting ReNo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Yeah, the point of the game is a physics spam fest, and I don't think thats quite awesome. Its fun and all, but I'd prefer it to be less reliant on the novelty of the gravity gun. I would at LEAST like to see it as a server variable rather than forcing it always on, it would be nice to see how it plays with only the other guns being used.
</DIV></DIV>
I think at the moment that's what it seems like, it's just people having a laugh really. In time people will swing more towards using weapons and gaining advantages over gravgun users (or vice-versa), that's when I think we'll see a distinct division between weapon pros and gravgun pros :razz:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting ReNo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quote:</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>And its not a physics spam fest; there's a reason you start with the grav gun. It's the whole point of the game, plus its awesome.</DIV></DIV>

Yeah, the point of the game is a physics spam fest, and I don't think thats quite awesome. Its fun and all, but I'd prefer it to be less reliant on the novelty of the gravity gun. I would at LEAST like to see it as a server variable rather than forcing it always on, it would be nice to see how it plays with only the other guns being used.
</DIV></DIV>
Do we still get a Crowbar? in MP?

Sadly no, you don't start out with one. But I'd imagine you could place them in the map like any other weapon.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Yak_Fighter</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Sadly no, you don't start out with one. But I'd imagine you could place them in the map like any other weapon. </DIV></DIV>
Dang, that's too bad. Isn't there a setting when you make a map that lets you dictate what players start out with?

Yeah there was for HL, I'd assume it's still there now but you never know.

Hmmph. HL2DM's weapons are too powerful, there are too many which can kill you in one shot (especially the damn Magnum). It's not quite the finely honed experience that HL1DM was :/

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Yak_Fighter</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Yeah there was for HL, I'd assume it's still there now but you never know. </DIV></DIV>
Also, I was REALLY surprised that there wasn't a GORDON model! What's up with that?

Yeah, all the weapons seem too overpowered to me. I keep dying within a
few hits of anything. Still haven't had a smooth game yet though, so
I'll reserve final judgement I guess. :smile:

The weapons seemed underpowered (or perfectly fine) to me (except for that awesome magnum), as it takes about 3 direct hits with the shotgun to kill you and the SMG takes a whole f**king clip. But I'm not complaining...

Well seeing as both maps are just HL2 single player levels converted into DM style, I really wouldn't expect much in the way of fantastic Deathmatch level design, seeing as converting HL2 SP levels was obviously just a rough, quick and easy measure to get it out to people quickly.

Also that there is no 3rd Person Gordon model, and the weapon balance doesn't seem to have been changed much from single player, seems awfully cobbled together to me. Like they've just got the basics of the game mode working and then ported the single player stuff into it without much change.

Still tonnes of fun for some reason... :smile:

Honestly, I'm looking forward to AG2. If that crew can incorporate the grav gun, properly, it will be the pro experience, IMO....an evolution of HLDM, which this game is not.

I agree with alot of points here....

-Overwatch map wasn't as fun.

-magnum too powerful

-shotty too weak

-spawning with Grav-Gun is BAD.

I do really like the bouncy-combine-incineration-ball thingy. I can tell you one thing, If I do any mapping for this, I will certainly be trying to balance things a little more than these 2 maps did....and almost certainly not giving Grav-gun at spawn. Giving it to everyone cheapens it, IMO. With a little creativity it is a great tool and should be an item to control; making it more valuable.

I don't see how spawning with the grav gun is bad.

I just like such powerful items to be things you have to seek/control/fight-over...it gives the game a little more depth. Don't get me wrong, it can be fun both ways. I have made maps before (that were very fun) where players spawned with xbow, shotty, longjump. I just don't really like the idea of players ALWAYS spawning with them.

Also, I don't know about anybody else, but all the objects being tossed around constantly seems to kill my modem... choke reaching the hundreds. At that point the game becomes a slideshow. Limiting the grav gun might also help reduce all the physics calculations.

Then again, I guess you could always control the phys-spam, by limiting the amount of tossable objects.

The game has been out 2 days, and people are already moaning about 'lame physics spam'. Jeez, if you want to play HLDM, then err.... play that. This is a completely different game. It seems sad to instantly be wanting a mod to come out that makes HL2DM the same as HL1DM :sad:

I think starting with the grav gun and the smg is genius, and adds a whole new layer to the deathmatch experience. It basically gives you two dominant strategies with no clear victor in any situation and gives the game a nice variety. You've got the traditional weaponry with the ability to reliably hit people from a distance and can destroy grav gunners due to accuracy, more ammo, and explosives that can't be blocked, but with the disadvantage of having to hit players multiple times to kill them. On the other hand you've got a grav gun that allows for players to shield themselves or create obstacles for other players while still retaining a virtual one shot kill ability from medium distance with disadvantages of limited ammo that's not necessarily easy to come by, a lack of accuracy at a distance, and its tough to use at close combat range. You can use either strategy the whole time or choose the one that best fits your style or the situation at hand.

Even better is that there are no unbalancing weaponry or items that make the playing field really uneven. There's no s**tty LJ that allows low ping people to dodge all the laggers, there's no gauss that allows for people to camp rooms and blow the crap out of everybody (ala crossfire), and there's no 1 hit kill contact grenades. To me there's much more skill and strategy involved now instead of who has the best reaction time, fires first with the biggest gun, or knows the level best.

The game has been out 2 days, and people are already moaning
about 'lame physics spam'. Jeez, if you want to play HLDM, then err....
play that. This is a completely different game. It seems sad to
instantly be wanting a mod to come out that makes HL2DM the same as
HL1DM :sad:

I'm not saying I want that, but I don't think this entirely new game
has the long term appeal or tactical depth that it could have. I
don't see whats wrong with having criticisms of it either, not
every[]ithing[/i] appeals to everyone after all. I can see why
people are enjoying it, I can see why people like playing with the
physics, but I think by spawning the player with the gravity gun, thats
pretty much all there is to the game just now.

I think spawning with the grav gun shouldn't be forced. Fighting for
such a nice piece of weaponry might be much more satisfying, as you
know that when you die, you'll lose that thing. Might make some people
play tougher once they get it.

Plus, not every player likes the same style of combat. Some may like
maps without the gravity gun, perhaps just for variation, others may
want to have it instantly. I think it should either be a designers
choice or a server-side controlled option.

I havn't tried it yet, but I'm sure there is still an entity that lets you decide what the players should start with. It would be pretty silly if there wasn't. Honestly though, I don't see a problem with people starting with the G-gun. I've had lots of fun caping people with the pistol when they are trying to throw s**t at someon else. Using the gravity gun effectivly is rather diffacult because you can't see what you are aiming at and a quick look around will likely miss other players because you are holding a huge object that obscures 90% of your vision.

Its quite a nice self-balancing thing really. Things like tires don't
obscure your view much and still kill in one, but are small and need to
be accurately thrown, while huge tables and the like are hard to
manouvere through tight spaces and block your view, even if they are
hard to miss with.

The Hud still tells you who is in your crosshair even if your view is totally obscured.

Yeah but aiming through the use of a piece of text is hardly ideal is it :rolleyes:

Anybody else seeing weird physicyness when trying to jump on some small objects? (desks, chairs, etc)

Yeah I get it whenever jumping on any size object, but I dont really know why you'd want to jump on that stuff or what advantage you'd gain from it...

I have a question of my own: I've seen people catch my overwatch rifle energy balls with the grav gun and throw them back at people, but is it possible to catch either the SMG contact grenades or the RPG rockets? It'd probably be hard, but imagine the consequences :biggrin:

There was a hallway in lockdown with some stuff in it that I just wanted to get past, but I had to pick it up and throw it because of the weirdness.

I tried a map i made in hl2 and hl2:dm. In hl2 i could jump on things that I couldn't jump on in hl2:dm mode.

thundercleese said:
There was a hallway in lockdown with some stuff in it that I just wanted to get past, but I had to pick it up and throw it because of the weirdness.

I tried a map i made in hl2 and hl2:dm. In hl2 i could jump on things that I couldn't jump on in hl2:dm mode.

I believe in the 'net' versions, you're forced off of physics objects like barrels and such. It does it in CS:S anyway.

I'd imagine they would explode too quickly, but it would be cool.

I agree with the things that Finger pointed out. I really think the gravity gun is much too powerful to be a default weapon. I had managed to get full health/hev and a nice arsenal of weapons when some guy came by and tossed a table at me and ended it all.

It depends the entities you use to place objects I think. If you use
the prop_physics_multiplayer entity then you will be forced off them (a
la CS:S), but if you use the prop_physics entity then it will react
normally. I'm not too sure on the effect of using prop_physics in
multiplayer games, it could cause a lot of lag or it might be only
slightly worse.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting ReNo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>It depends the entities you use to place objects I think. If you use the prop_physics_multiplayer entity then you will be forced off them (a la CS:S), but if you use the prop_physics entity then it will react normally. I'm not too sure on the effect of using prop_physics in multiplayer games, it could cause a lot of lag or it might be only slightly worse.
</DIV></DIV>

Nice to know. I'm an extremely new map maker and I had no entities yet, just some cylinder brushes.
In other noob news, I accidentally started a public server with my incomplete map and people started joining! ... and falling through the floor ... and all spawning in the same place. :smile:

I'd wish valve put there 3 year time and effort into HLDM2 instead of CSS, :sad:

Hey, they released it, which is better than nothing in my opinion, especially since it eliminates about 40 of the 50 HL2DM mods out there right off the bat :biggrin:

I think the grav gun would be more balanced if there wasn't ridiculous amounts of garbage around to spam with. Some of the gameplay could be improved map-side that way.

Overall, though, I'm kinda disappointed. It's fun briefly, but it's just a chaotic mess once there are more than a few people. It's not a "thinking man's dm" like the original was.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Yak_Fighter</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Hey, they released it, which is better than nothing in my opinion, especially since it eliminates about 40 of the 50 HL2DM mods out there right off the bat :biggrin: </DIV></DIV>

Yeah, I don't care for third-party moda as much. They always have gimmicky features that just complicate things. And those dang menus (like the buy menu in CS:S but i'm not talking about CS:S) that you have to choose from before all your other buttons will work
I have been killed SO many times because my movement and attack buttons were disables because i had accidentally pressed the CHAT button....

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Yak_Fighter</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>

To me there's much more skill and strategy involved now instead of who has the best reaction time, fires first with the biggest gun, or knows the level best.

</DIV></DIV>
the killbox retards are gonna love this then. "SKILL, we no need no stinking skill" :rolleyes:

Overall, though, I'm kinda disappointed. It's fun briefly, but it's
just a chaotic mess once there are more than a few people. It's not a
"thinking man's dm" like the original was.

Construct a massive map and this problem is eliminated.

I have been killed SO many times because my movement and attack buttons
were disables because i had accidentally pressed the CHAT button....

If only there was a way to reconfigure the keys!

Dave, please stop, i am already working on next weeks diapers. you are not helping my problem.