Half-Life Collection Question
- Thread starter Brown Cap
- Start date
Half-Life is the original game it was when it came out in... 1999? Source is pretty much the same game but on an updated engine.
The most notable difference I can tell you is that the game looks a little better (especially water), there are a lot less mods made for Source, and you take noticeably less fall and explosive damage all the time.
Alternatively you could just play the free Black Mesa mod, which is using the most current engine but only has half of the game made so far. Pretty easy to find a download online.
Best order in my opinion is HL/HL:S/BM, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, HL2, Episode 1, Episode 2. Chronologically you don't have to play Blue Shift or Opposing Force at all since they aren't about Gordon Freeman, but I think Opposing Force is the best game in the Half Life series.
The most notable difference I can tell you is that the game looks a little better (especially water), there are a lot less mods made for Source, and you take noticeably less fall and explosive damage all the time.
Alternatively you could just play the free Black Mesa mod, which is using the most current engine but only has half of the game made so far. Pretty easy to find a download online.
Best order in my opinion is HL/HL:S/BM, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, HL2, Episode 1, Episode 2. Chronologically you don't have to play Blue Shift or Opposing Force at all since they aren't about Gordon Freeman, but I think Opposing Force is the best game in the Half Life series.
Not really, or rather not by a significant margin. Probably go for Source, as it looks prettier. But the actual differences aren't that many - some physics (water and some cables swing, as opposed to being mostly static, for example) and some better textures. Nothing that really impacts the experience, in my opinion, but just slight visual update. I'd say that Source feels slightly off, but that's because I'm comparing it to the original and I've played that so much.Brown Cap said:
Black Mesa exists, which is a fan made recreation of HL entirely in Source (as opposed to porting it, they've built an entirely new game) but it's still missing the last ~1/3. However, what they have is absolutely amazing, so you could opt to go for that and look up what happens after Black Mesa finishes. It's the Xen levels and there really isn't much going on aside from exploring the alien world a bit and...well, the end of the game, of course. But while I do like Xen, I do admit you can probably skip it with no major downsides. It's an area of the game that a lot of people really dislike and I do understand why.
It's actually on GoldSrc, which is (AFAIK) built upon code from the engines used for Quake 1 and 2ninja666 said:
That's also, from what I gather, why bhop ended up in Valve's games
How 2 play half-life 3?ninja666 said:
But OT; I'd play Half-Life 1 with the source engine. I remember playing Half-Life one, and it felt like a weird ghetto version of the newer games, but it was all pretty much the same, except for the grenade physics. Pineapple grenades in HL1 throw like they're embedded in a globe of invisible bubble wrap covered in molasses and tied to a helium balloon. They're slow, floaty, collide oddly with surfaces, and it's a pain to get any distance with them. HL2 grenades are infinitely better, though oddly have fewer moments where you'd want to use them over something else.
Or more to the point, GoldSrc.ninja666 said:
That is simultaneously informative, hilarious, and cruel. Well played.
I wouldn't bother with the original Half-Life if you're going to play HL:S anyway. You can have a look at it of course, just to see how far the engine evolved the series, really groundbreaking stuff for it's time, especially the physics and textures. I would also play in the order suggested by ninja666.
The expansions are really worth it, I enjoyed OpFor and Episodes 1 and 2 just as much as the games themselves. Story doesn't unwind itself much, so just be prepared for disappointment and left hanging in those regards.
The expansions are really worth it, I enjoyed OpFor and Episodes 1 and 2 just as much as the games themselves. Story doesn't unwind itself much, so just be prepared for disappointment and left hanging in those regards.
The problem is that it's been, like, two years now. Or close, anyway - Black Mesa came out towards the end of 2012 and the Xen levels were supposed to come in 2013. Well, it's the end of 2014. I don't see it coming out for Christmas. I don't like waitingDalisclock said:
Hmm, I dunno - I liked Xen - it's a different experience to the rest of the game, sure, but I always thought it fit fairly well, as it was an alien world.Dalisclock said:
Since we got most of the game anyway, I'd kinda forgotten about it. Also the fact it's pretty much free(at least I think it is), I don't care as much as some other games which seem to be taking a lot longer and I actually paid for(Damnit, Double Fine, where's the other half of Broken Age?)DoPo said:The problem is that it's been, like, two years now. Or close, anyway - Black Mesa came out towards the end of 2012 and the Xen levels were supposed to come in 2013. Well, it's the end of 2014. I don't see it coming out for Christmas. I don't like waitingDalisclock said:
Lost Coast is a technology demo showing off the Source engine's HDR rendering capabilities.
It is just a set piece that has no bearing upon the story. If someone where to try to place it within the storyline, Lost Coast would take place somewhere within HL2, HL2:E1, or HL2:2 while you are on a coast or where you could have ended up after cut scene trip.
It is just a set piece that has no bearing upon the story. If someone where to try to place it within the storyline, Lost Coast would take place somewhere within HL2, HL2:E1, or HL2:2 while you are on a coast or where you could have ended up after cut scene trip.