half-life was so much better than halflife 2

[FlamingUrine]

just like the matrix, the first movies a colt hit, the rest are feel like dumbed down block busters, Still good but not that COLT feeling that makes Great.

The is word 'cult' not 'colt'. Say it with me now, 'cult hit'.

[nub]

HL2 is immersive, brilliant and one hell of an experience. It's also ageing. Also, it's dystopian and subconciously depressive. Also, we all dev for it so we know it inside and out which sorta ruins it.

This is very true, when I run through HL2 and it's Episodes I keep thinking how everything was done, it's like I'm analyzing the techniques, kind of takes it away from the immersion.

Indeed. The first time I played Half-Life 2 I was like "holy shit this is amazing." Things like the tire swing, and the hanging legs in Ravenholm; the simplest things they did in HL2 were incredible to me. But ever since I began modding for the game, none of it really impacts me. I'm sure that if I never got in to Source modding, or game design in general for that matter, HL2 would still have that "feeling" to it. I think that might be the reason why mapping has become uninspiring for me. When I was still learning how to use Hammer, it was so much fun to make something and see it work the way I intended it to. Now I just stare at a blank grid for 10 minutes, trying to be compelled to make something without being miserable in the process.

It's not just HL2 though. I remember when me and my brothers first got our Xbox back in 2001. We played the living shit out of Halo. If you look at it with all the knowledge you have about making games now, it's not really impressive or appealing. You could go replay it and not get that feeling you had when you were younger and had never seen such a game before. I guess it depends on what generation you're from too. I was 10 when I first played Halo so I guess I was a lot more impressionable. I was about 13 when I first played HL2 so perhaps it's the same reason there too. All I can do is think about those days where I first played the games, and then I can remember that feeling, but I can't really...emulate it...or something like that.

[goldendeed]

HL2 is immersive, brilliant and one hell of an experience. It's also ageing. Also, it's dystopian and subconciously depressive. Also, we all dev for it so we know it inside and out which sorta ruins it.

This is very true, when I run through HL2 and it's Episodes I keep thinking how everything was done, it's like I'm analyzing the techniques, kind of takes it away from the immersion.

Indeed. The first time I played Half-Life 2 I was like "holy shit this is amazing." Things like the tire swing, and the hanging legs in Ravenholm; the simplest things they did in HL2 were incredible to me. But ever since I began modding for the game, none of it really impacts me. I'm sure that if I never got in to Source modding, or game design in general for that matter, HL2 would still have that "feeling" to it. I think that might be the reason why mapping has become uninspiring for me. When I was still learning how to use Hammer, it was so much fun to make something and see it work the way I intended it to. Now I just stare at a blank grid for 10 minutes, trying to be compelled to make something without being miserable in the process.

It's not just HL2 though. I remember when me and my brothers first got our Xbox back in 2001. We played the living shit out of Halo. If you look at it with all the knowledge you have about making games now, it's not really impressive or appealing. You could go replay it and not get that feeling you had when you were younger and had never seen such a game before. I guess it depends on what generation you're from too. I was 10 when I first played Halo so I guess I was a lot more impressionable. I was about 13 when I first played HL2 so perhaps it's the same reason there too. All I can do is think about those days where I first played the games, and then I can remember that feeling, but I can't really...emulate it...or something like that.

Damn man... thats deep, and very true indeed

[Plague]

The Source community as a whole knows more then say your average MW2 player.
Thus when we release a Map that person needs to know a little bit since he has to first learn about mapping/modding and finally has to place the file in a directory he might not have bothered with before.

So we dont get the type of feedback that Bungie gets when they release a game, cause the average Halo player probably could care less how a particle effect was made.

L4D2 and AS are Valve introducing us to the less knowledgeable crowed.
I remember playing a custom campaign with other people, and they did not know why a certain area was glitchy (Bad Nav). It occurred to me that these people had been able to install and play something custom without having to know the process of making such things.

Once Valve continues this Addon VPK system we can all start to see the same type of responses that companies receives.

All because it will be easier for the average user to play such content.

This is specifically in response to "Nub"'s mentions of

I think that might be the reason why mapping has become uninspiring for me.

[goldendeed]

L4D2 and AS are Valve introducing us to the less knowledgeable crowd.

also, don't you mean more knowledgeable, otherwise explain what you mean?

[Plague]

fucking "e" key man...

I mean that with the simple intalling of entire campaigns we dont have to navigate to folders in order to drop files in.
Some mods too but they often use installers now.

With L4D(Both) and AS we have the Addon system that makes it an easy and user friendly method.
Thus we see people who know less about mapping/modding playing the content.

The overall point is that Valve will eventually make it so we can get the same feedback that a company receives when it gets information from people who just play the games for fun.

[Saxon]

With L4D(Both) and AS we have the Addon system that makes it an easy and user friendly method.
Thus we see people who know less about mapping/modding playing the content.

The overall point is that Valve will eventually make it so we can get the same feedback that a company receives when it gets information from people who just play the games for fun.

I dunno... I find the Addon system pretty awkward compared to simply throwing BSPs into the maps folder. Whats more, the excessively large size of addon files makes them impossible to download from a custom server - whereas separate BSPs are much quicker to download.

The Addon system would be OK for SP games, but not MP.

Back on topic, I can't say I like HL2 anymore. It seems like everything there is scripted for the purposes of a tech demo; it does not feel like an interactive game experience.
Gameplay wise, the series feels extremely dated. As I've said elsewhere on the forum Valve cling too much to tradition, and IMHO they haven't produced anything with revolutionary gameplay since Half-Life. Since HL1 all we've had are excessive mounds of character development.

It kind of pisses me off that the instant Valve stick their logo on something, the fanboys love it regardless of how good it actually is. Kind of like how people used to unquestioningly love Tomb Raider games (which incidentally, most reviewers now look back on as being rubbish).

[aaagreen]

Half-Life 2 was my first ever Valve game, and I loved it's gameplay, feel and level design from the beginning. This was back in around 2004/5/6ish and on a friend's Xbox though, so it was fairly new.

[Plague]

Half-Life 2 was my first ever Valve game, and I loved it's gameplay, feel and level design from the beginning. This was back in around 2004/5/6ish and on a friend's Xbox though, so it was fairly new.

Whoa... Exactly the same for me.. except it was my cousins xbox.....

I dunno... I find the Addon system pretty awkward compared to simply throwing BSPs into the maps folder.

Thats cuase we are cool

[Phott]

It kind of pisses me off that the instant Valve stick their logo on something, the fanboys love it regardless of how good it actually is. Kind of like how people used to unquestioningly love Tomb Raider games (which incidentally, most reviewers now look back on as being rubbish).

And it pisses me off how people are quick to call someone a fanboy just because they like it. Is it really that impossible that perhaps they really do like it?

[Bramblepath]

For me, Half-Life felt rather too intense all of the time. I've never been a fan of horror, and whilst HL1 wasn't a horror game, the feeling of not knowing what was round the next corner made me scared. Even then, when the enemies did jump out, shooting them made my heart start pumping. Yes, maybe that's what the game is about, but I really preferred having the time to look around and take in all those wonderful details that are abound in Half-Life 2.

Despite that, I love Half-Life. It was something of a corridor shooter, but broken up by the wonderful plot and great puzzles. It was brilliant and I appreciate deeply the way in which it changed the genre. For me, though, Half-Life 2 really let me feel my way around the world in a way which I couldn't in the original. It was so varied, you did so many different things, and the driving was really great, especially when you had so much control over the vehicle. It let you calm down, and really relaxed the pace. Yes, it was different to Half-Life in so many ways: its AI wasn't so revolutionary or fun, there wasn't so much thought going into fighting, and the platforming was somewhat lackluster, but then who said it had to pay tribute to its predecessor? It's a different game to Half-Life, and whilst it's not necessarily better, it is fantastic in its own right. Trying to put them both in the same pigeonhole destroys them.

[Phott]

The driving in HL2 was awful and boring for me.. I think it's the loading screens that ruined it for me, you're all pumped driving through a tunnel getting chased by a chopper but suddenly.. Loading.. By the time it has loaded you've calmed down.

[Ich 666]

For me the driving part wasnt bad at all. Gave the game something relaxing and fun.
Its NOT fun to shoot combines all the time

[Habboi]

I was introduced to Valve games through the original CS which all my friends were playing at the time. In a way it was also my first true PC game and when I discovered you could make custom levels I started learning. Anyway I moved on to Half Life 1 and just loved the atmosphere and the intro music.

So I was quite excited when HL2 was announced and trailers were released. I always remember installing Bink Player to watch the hi-res trailers of walking through the apartments and driving along the beach. I was quite sad when the final game didn't have the same music in the same spots in the trailers.

But when HL2 first came out I was very excited and couldn't wait to find out what happens next, especially in regards to the Gman. I even remember my friend phoning me up asking where I was up to and asking me how to get past the seesaw bit for the airboat.

Overall HL2 was a great experience "back then" but nowadays it hasn't aged well. When EP1 came out I wasn't as stoked as HL2 but the story kept me going. EP2 was more exciting and hardly any info was shown and the rumours of someone dying, the new enemy and environments was really cool. I actually loved the caves and the forests compared to the city in the past games. I also felt EP2 made me feel grown up, like a lot had happened since HL2 in both the story and my own life story.

So both games have their charm and nowadays I wouldn't be able to play HL1 cause of the combat mostly but also because I've already experienced the twists and turns. I owe quite a lot to HL1 and HL2 for without them I wonder if I'd be here modding and developing.

[Saxon]

I liked the driving part too, it was pretty relaxing when compared to the sand traps section. God that part was tedious.
If anything I think the best parts of HL2/EP2 are when you're driving, and IMHO the strider battle at the end of EP2 was the best thing in the series so far.

It kind of pisses me off that the instant Valve stick their logo on something, the fanboys love it regardless of how good it actually is. Kind of like how people used to unquestioningly love Tomb Raider games (which incidentally, most reviewers now look back on as being rubbish).

And it pisses me off how people are quick to call someone a fanboy just because they like it. Is it really that impossible that perhaps they really do like it?

I think you're missing the point...