the hunters were easy once you figure out that you can't take damage if you strafe at range. more of a problem when you fight them in the buildings, but 3 double-barrel shots of the shotgun puts them down on hard difficulty.
Can't say they posed any problem with ammo, as it kind of hinted you should throw the explosive barrels conveniently placed all around.
Btw, why weren't you allowed to kill the guardian inside the cave? The vortigaunt said it would destroy the essence, but the essence was in the nest, not in the guardian (as I thought). Doesn't really make sense.
<!--quoteo(post=1656908:date=Oct 20 2007, 07:02 PM:name=Svenpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Svenpa @ Oct 20 2007, 07:02 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1656908"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Oh I forgot they were named that.
Can't say they posed any problem with ammo, as it kind of hinted you should throw the explosive barrels conveniently placed all around.
Btw, why weren't you allowed to kill the guardian inside the cave? The vortigaunt said it would destroy the essence, but the essence was in the nest, not in the guardian (as I thought). Doesn't really make sense.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wasnt it something to do with the scent or a pheramone or something like that?
I'm amazed people ran out of ammo, even on hard. I'd say about 60% of the ammo I ran into I couldn't pick up because I was full, and yes I was playing on hard. :/ Also, barrels are silly to throw at the guardians, I-beam packages or the engine block lying around have way more mass and actually make them shudder when struck by it.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span>
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Dog is an artificial lifeform, he is unaffected by the advisors' psychic immobilization powers that seems to make Gordan so damn impotent. Plus dog *looked* like he ripped a big seam along the second advisor's body, but of course the texture/model didn't seem to reflect it.
Basically, dog is immune to the advisor's apparently biggest strength, plus dog can kill striders, so a floating bag of ugly should be no problem.
I would like to also point out that Kleiner talked Eli out of going to the Borealis because Eli was "too valuable to be captured" and that he knew everything about the rebels. This implies that the combine have methods of extracting information from captured individuals, and that Kleiner and Eli knew this. It is also believable to conclude that the brain-slurping that the advisor did on Eli at the end was *exactly* the knowledge-extracting that Kleiner was so worried about.
Thus, the combine now know about Borealis, it's whereabouts, the fact that Gordon and Alyx are heading there in a helicopter as well as all the movements/information about the rebels.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Well, nothing really implies that the advisors can only interact with living lifeforms. In the barn it causes wood and all sorts of things to float along with you and Alyx (even a dead dude). So it would seem it can manipulate anything. What would make sense though is that if you are strong enough you can still move around somewhat, and since Dog is a huge robot, he would probably be physically strong enough to break free of their mind hold. Ofcourse this is all speculation considering it's a video game...</span>
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>The advisors had no business being there? What about the huge plume of rocket smoke reaching for kilometers up into the sky? It wouldn't take THAT much imagination on the advisor's behalf to connect the closure of their portal home and a highly suspicious trail of smoke.</span>
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Dog also caught it by surprise from above and behind.
As for <i>why</i> the advisors came or had "no business being there"... well, think about it. A rocket with a massively trackable smoke trail just neutralized their wonderful portal. I'd presume going to the location of the launch is the expected thing to do. (and from the story it seems advisors had spread out all over after the citadel destruction, so some were nearby)
editz: darn two-people-posting-at-once syndrome!</span>
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Did no-one else notice the advisor floating outside of the launch doors you have to close? They even made it so that it doesn't float off until you look in it's direction. I reloaded several times to see if I could so much as dent it but alas, no.
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span>
NeonSpyder"Das est NTLDR?"Join Date: 2003-07-03Member: 17913Members
<!--quoteo(post=1657009:date=Oct 21 2007, 06:14 AM:name=Nil_IQ)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nil_IQ @ Oct 21 2007, 06:14 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657009"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Did no-one else notice the advisor floating outside of the launch doors you have to close? They even made it so that it doesn't float off until you look in it's direction. I reloaded several times to see if I could so much as dent it but alas, no.
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Actually, no I didn't notice the adviser floating outside of silo #2. I was too busy hiding behind the glass to stop the many many bullets of the many combine above the silo doors.
I guess I could have run out there like a 'tard and shot at them while they shot back. OR I could have made the intelligent choice of staying behind the bullet proof glass until the doors closed, and I could be re-united with my beloved compatriots. </span>
<!--quoteo(post=1657009:date=Oct 21 2007, 01:14 PM:name=Nil_IQ)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nil_IQ @ Oct 21 2007, 01:14 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657009"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Did no-one else notice the advisor floating outside of the launch doors you have to close? They even made it so that it doesn't float off until you look in it's direction. I reloaded several times to see if I could so much as dent it but alas, no.
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'> Aye, I did notice, it also makes me wonder why no one outside shot the fricking thing down with a rpg (and there was people outside as the final battle hadn't started.</span>.
<!--quoteo(post=1657011:date=Oct 21 2007, 07:07 AM:name=NeonSpyder)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NeonSpyder @ Oct 21 2007, 07:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657011"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Actually, no I didn't notice the adviser floating outside of silo #2. I was too busy hiding behind the glass to stop the many many bullets of the many combine above the silo doors.
I guess I could have run out there like a 'tard and shot at them while they shot back. OR I could have made the intelligent choice of staying behind the bullet proof glass until the doors closed, and I could be re-united with my beloved compatriots. </span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Or you could have just been a hero and manned the turret instead of being a scared wimp and hiding like a sissy.</span>
<!--quoteo(post=1657053:date=Oct 21 2007, 03:53 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Oct 21 2007, 03:53 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657053"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Or you could have just been a hero and manned the turret instead of being a scared wimp and hiding like a sissy.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> That's what I was going to say. There is a mounted gun there for a reason. Pew pew pew
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited October 2007
Gordon needs a Magneto or Juggernaut type of helmet <img src="http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/style_images/1/folder_post_icons/icon2.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I can't believe nobody mentioned the best part of Episode 2 -- Dr. Magnusson! He's by far my favorite character in the series, although I didn't realize the connection with HL1 until I listened to the commentary. I wish they had made that more clear.
<!--quoteo(post=1657066:date=Oct 21 2007, 06:39 PM:name=Max)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Max @ Oct 21 2007, 06:39 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657066"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I can't believe nobody mentioned the best part of Episode 2 -- Dr. Magnusson! He's by far my favorite character in the series, although I didn't realize the connection with HL1 until I listened to the commentary. I wish they had made that more clear.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I figured he was just a random scientist, but then he made the comment about the exploding microwave burrito from black mesa. I guess he was the guy in the lounge room, hah.
I thought he was overly 'token obnoxious besserwisser' so he just made me mutter irritably while playing those sections of the game when he yells at you out of speakers.
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
Some of the things I hate are the commentaries, which imply that they think players are inept... Like we had to put this crap here to teach the player that they would have to do this same thing further on in the game under pressure, have some faith and let players figure it out for themselves instead of "educating" them.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Also WTH kind of stupid weapon is that Magnusson ball'o doom to throw at a strider to blow it up. Yeah it a cute way of showing off the "physics" you have going and has some meeting hours going to come up with that crap. Just gimme a freaking RPG to leave a crater where the strider used to be (same goes for the chopper)
Them combine have some very stupid weaponry at their disposal btw. Blooptidoo choppers with dangerous bouncy ballbombs and honktihonk striders, which don't shoot at the car that has the Magnusson ball'o doom? WTH is this mario world, what's next in episode 3. Floating turtles, walking toadstools and we have to save princess Alyx from a mean reptilian?
<!--quoteo(post=1657139:date=Oct 22 2007, 11:59 AM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kouji_San @ Oct 22 2007, 11:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657139"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Some of the things I hate are the commentaries, which imply that they think players are inept... Like we had to put this crap here to teach the player that they would have to do this same thing further on in the game under pressure, have some faith and let players figure it out for themselves instead of "educating" them.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Also WTH kind of stupid weapon is that Magnusson ball'o doom to throw at a strider to blow it up. Yeah it a cute way of showing off the "physics" you have going and has some meeting hours going to come up with that crap. Just gimme a freaking RPG to leave a crater where the strider used to be (same goes for the chopper)
Them combine have some very stupid weaponry at their disposal btw. Blooptidoo choppers with dangerous bouncy ballbombs and honktihonk striders, which don't shoot at the car that has the Magnusson ball'o doom? WTH is this mario world, what's next in episode 3. Floating turtles, walking toadstools and we have to save princess Alyx from a mean reptilian?
That is all. To quote the Vort</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Im going to let you in on a secret: Just because you are a seasoned video gamer doesn't mean everyone who plays is. I know it's hard to believe, but many people have a hard time figuring things like this out. We call these 'normal' people. 'Normal' people don't instantly understand obscure game mechanics as they haven't played that many video games.
What difficulty did you play Ep2 on? Easy? The final fight would have been impossible without the magnussen ball. On hard I was struggling even with the ability to insta-kill the striders. Atleast they were trying to change things up by giving you a new weapon. By your logic though we should just have had a re-run of the final fight in Ep1 though eh? There is already enough repetition in the half-life series, atleast a new weapon mixed things up a bit.
<!--quoteo(post=1657139:date=Oct 22 2007, 10:59 AM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kouji_San @ Oct 22 2007, 10:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657139"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Some of the things I hate are the commentaries, which imply that they think players are inept... Like we had to put this crap here to teach the player that they would have to do this same thing further on in the game under pressure, have some faith and let players figure it out for themselves instead of "educating" them.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ahah wow, way to entirely miss the point by like, a million miles. If there's one thing you should get from the commentary in Ep1, Ep2, and Portal, it's that Valve does playtesting. Then they do more playtesting. Then they do some more, and some more, and then they work on the game a bit. Then they test it MORE. They don't "think" players are inept. They <i>know</i> players are inept.
I have, personally, say down and watched 4 people play through either Portal, Episode 1, Episode 2, or a combination of 2 or 3. These people are either not hardcore gamers or don't play a lot of first person shooters, and let me tell you, they were <i>still</i> getting stuck multiple times at places I breezed through without even thinking. This is all four people, at multiple places, multiple times, in multiple games. Valve has to deal wtih people like this, only thousands of times over.
If you don't think players need teaching, go make your own game. Let's see how many people play it. One of two things will happen. First, if you somehow make an amazing, incredible, super awesome game like Dwarf Fortress, some people will tough it out and do the work it takes to figure out how to play, but you'll lose almost every average gamer. Second, the more likely option is that nobody is going to play your game. If you disagree, well, go ahead, but Valve doesn't sell millions of copies by listening to people like you. They listen to people like the 4 I watched play through the games.
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited October 2007
<!--quoteo(post=1657143:date=Oct 22 2007, 06:13 PM:name=Xyth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Xyth @ Oct 22 2007, 06:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657143"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Im going to let you in on a secret: Just because you are a seasoned video gamer doesn't mean everyone who plays is. I know it's hard to believe, but many people have a hard time figuring things like this out. We call these 'normal' people. 'Normal' people don't instantly understand obscure game mechanics as they haven't played that many video games.
What difficulty did you play Ep2 on? Easy? The final fight would have been impossible without the magnussen ball. On hard I was struggling even with the ability to insta-kill the striders. Atleast they were trying to change things up by giving you a new weapon. By your logic though we should just have had a re-run of the final fight in Ep1 though eh? There is already enough repetition in the half-life series, atleast a new weapon mixed things up a bit.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>O my god, you just opened up my eyes to something I never would've thought of... There is such a thing as normal people? Wow man didn't know that... Simply wow... -_-
Of course the game market is opening up more and more doors into the casual gamers domain. These people are your dad or even my neighbours grandad. This is especially true with the Nintendo wii and DS breaking down these gaming bariers for people who would've never thought of playing games. These people are of course not at all the gamers we all are at this forum and most other gaming forums. But I just got a minor anoyance out of the comentaries saying we are here to teach you how to do stuff. Sure you playtested it with a variaty of players. And it is nice to see how some things are introduced into a game. But about the teaching part, dunno looks to me it is just a repetition of something before and they also figured that out by themselves as well...
I played the game on hard and I just have a thing against silly weapons that make a game even more unrealistic then it already is. Sure it has it's entertainment value, of chucking balls at a target and blowing them up (I enjoyed that). But if I were that strider pilot I would've stomped gordon flat or at least kept him from doing anything like that. The strider actyally stepped on my car at one time, and nothing happened... It's true that a lot of the HL2 combat has been done before...
I'm not saying make everything realistic, since no game can do that. But I just get annoyed to see this stuff. Especially the chopper which has been in HL2 from day one, with the balls that are designed especially for Gordon to throw back at the chopper <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> Gameplay wise, yes a big fat plus. Silly idea to create from a combine standpoint, hell yes! Should it be changed to something else, nah. I just think it looks stupid and sounds stupid (imho ftw)</span>
Put everything in a spoiler for extra security...
Also what's with the childish personal attacks, I'm just stating an opinion. Not trying to change the world of gamedevelopment. Get of your high horse please, sheesh... @ Xyth <i>and</i> Tycho o.O"
In my opinion, the hl2 series are games you need to play with an open, empty mind and just let the game absorb you. Nitpickery over realism just detracts from the experience and fun.
I think it's silly to think that the Strider busters, of all things, are unrealistic. I mean really. The guy has obviously spent years perfecting the technology and everything, and they're still not finished (no launcher), and that doesn't make sense compared to vortigaunts being able to jump-start old, rusty generators or an interdimensional G-Man dude who can freeze time and teleport around? At least the Strider buster is just a big bomb sort of thing.
<!--quoteo(post=1657155:date=Oct 22 2007, 12:53 PM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kouji_San @ Oct 22 2007, 12:53 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1657155"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also what's with the childish personal attacks, I'm just stating an opinion. Not trying to change the world of gamedevelopment. Get of your high horse please, sheesh... @ Xyth <i>and</i> Tycho o.O"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think you need to lookup what a personal attack is... Saying that somebodies opinion is not based in reality isn't a personal attack. Saying "You are a moron, go die in a fire" is a personal attack.
Anyway back on topic... HL1 was the better game if ya ask me, we'll see if ep3 can finally actually beat the original...
Also best scene from the game imho?
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Gordon+2 turrets+soldier1&2 vs the ant lions while protecting the vort+alyx. Absolutely loved that part</span>
Comments
the hunters were easy once you figure out that you can't take damage if you strafe at range. more of a problem when you fight them in the buildings, but 3 double-barrel shots of the shotgun puts them down on hard difficulty.
Can't say they posed any problem with ammo, as it kind of hinted you should throw the explosive barrels conveniently placed all around.
Btw, why weren't you allowed to kill the guardian inside the cave? The vortigaunt said it would destroy the essence, but the essence was in the nest, not in the guardian (as I thought). Doesn't really make sense.
Can't say they posed any problem with ammo, as it kind of hinted you should throw the explosive barrels conveniently placed all around.
Btw, why weren't you allowed to kill the guardian inside the cave? The vortigaunt said it would destroy the essence, but the essence was in the nest, not in the guardian (as I thought). Doesn't really make sense.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wasnt it something to do with the scent or a pheramone or something like that?
clearly Nanites.
as for the end:
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span>
as for the end:
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Dog is an artificial lifeform, he is unaffected by the advisors' psychic immobilization powers that seems to make Gordan so damn impotent. Plus dog *looked* like he ripped a big seam along the second advisor's body, but of course the texture/model didn't seem to reflect it.
Basically, dog is immune to the advisor's apparently biggest strength, plus dog can kill striders, so a floating bag of ugly should be no problem.
I would like to also point out that Kleiner talked Eli out of going to the Borealis because Eli was "too valuable to be captured" and that he knew everything about the rebels. This implies that the combine have methods of extracting information from captured individuals, and that Kleiner and Eli knew this. It is also believable to conclude that the brain-slurping that the advisor did on Eli at the end was *exactly* the knowledge-extracting that Kleiner was so worried about.
Thus, the combine now know about Borealis, it's whereabouts, the fact that Gordon and Alyx are heading there in a helicopter as well as all the movements/information about the rebels.
This is bad news for everybody.</span>
as for the end:
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>seems kinda like a deus ex machina, the way Dr. Vance got killed. those advisors had no business being there, and there's also no reason for Dog to have been able to scare them off. It's almost as if the writers decided they wanted Dr. Vance dead so they just wrote that in at the last minute. pretty gross though.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>The advisors had no business being there? What about the huge plume of rocket smoke reaching for kilometers up into the sky? It wouldn't take THAT much imagination on the advisor's behalf to connect the closure of their portal home and a highly suspicious trail of smoke.</span>
--Scythe--
As for <i>why</i> the advisors came or had "no business being there"... well, think about it. A rocket with a massively trackable smoke trail just neutralized their wonderful portal. I'd presume going to the location of the launch is the expected thing to do. (and from the story it seems advisors had spread out all over after the citadel destruction, so some were nearby)
editz: darn two-people-posting-at-once syndrome!</span>
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span>
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Actually, no I didn't notice the adviser floating outside of silo #2. I was too busy hiding behind the glass to stop the many many bullets of the many combine above the silo doors.
I guess I could have run out there like a 'tard and shot at them while they shot back. OR I could have made the intelligent choice of staying behind the bullet proof glass until the doors closed, and I could be re-united with my beloved compatriots. </span>
Anyway, my point is the advisors were already AT the base, presumably floating around and co-ordinating the attack. When the portal was closed they probably went all "Graaah! They closed our portal!" and decided to commence with the brain slurping.</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'> Aye, I did notice, it also makes me wonder why no one outside shot the fricking thing down with a rpg (and there was people outside as the final battle hadn't started.</span>.
I guess I could have run out there like a 'tard and shot at them while they shot back. OR I could have made the intelligent choice of staying behind the bullet proof glass until the doors closed, and I could be re-united with my beloved compatriots. </span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Or you could have just been a hero and manned the turret instead of being a scared wimp and hiding like a sissy.</span>
That's what I was going to say. There is a mounted gun there for a reason. Pew pew pew
I forgot about that, at least until I remembered how badly the combine raped my ass with it while I killed them in the first place.
I figured he was just a random scientist, but then he made the comment about the exploding microwave burrito from black mesa. I guess he was the guy in the lounge room, hah.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Also WTH kind of stupid weapon is that Magnusson ball'o doom to throw at a strider to blow it up. Yeah it a cute way of showing off the "physics" you have going and has some meeting hours going to come up with that crap. Just gimme a freaking RPG to leave a crater where the strider used to be (same goes for the chopper)
Them combine have some very stupid weaponry at their disposal btw. Blooptidoo choppers with dangerous bouncy ballbombs and honktihonk striders, which don't shoot at the car that has the Magnusson ball'o doom? WTH is this mario world, what's next in episode 3. Floating turtles, walking toadstools and we have to save princess Alyx from a mean reptilian?
That is all. To quote the Vort</span>
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Also WTH kind of stupid weapon is that Magnusson ball'o doom to throw at a strider to blow it up. Yeah it a cute way of showing off the "physics" you have going and has some meeting hours going to come up with that crap. Just gimme a freaking RPG to leave a crater where the strider used to be (same goes for the chopper)
Them combine have some very stupid weaponry at their disposal btw. Blooptidoo choppers with dangerous bouncy ballbombs and honktihonk striders, which don't shoot at the car that has the Magnusson ball'o doom? WTH is this mario world, what's next in episode 3. Floating turtles, walking toadstools and we have to save princess Alyx from a mean reptilian?
That is all. To quote the Vort</span><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Im going to let you in on a secret: Just because you are a seasoned video gamer doesn't mean everyone who plays is. I know it's hard to believe, but many people have a hard time figuring things like this out. We call these 'normal' people. 'Normal' people don't instantly understand obscure game mechanics as they haven't played that many video games.
What difficulty did you play Ep2 on? Easy? The final fight would have been impossible without the magnussen ball. On hard I was struggling even with the ability to insta-kill the striders. Atleast they were trying to change things up by giving you a new weapon. By your logic though we should just have had a re-run of the final fight in Ep1 though eh? There is already enough repetition in the half-life series, atleast a new weapon mixed things up a bit.
Ahah wow, way to entirely miss the point by like, a million miles. If there's one thing you should get from the commentary in Ep1, Ep2, and Portal, it's that Valve does playtesting. Then they do more playtesting. Then they do some more, and some more, and then they work on the game a bit. Then they test it MORE. They don't "think" players are inept. They <i>know</i> players are inept.
I have, personally, say down and watched 4 people play through either Portal, Episode 1, Episode 2, or a combination of 2 or 3. These people are either not hardcore gamers or don't play a lot of first person shooters, and let me tell you, they were <i>still</i> getting stuck multiple times at places I breezed through without even thinking. This is all four people, at multiple places, multiple times, in multiple games. Valve has to deal wtih people like this, only thousands of times over.
If you don't think players need teaching, go make your own game. Let's see how many people play it. One of two things will happen. First, if you somehow make an amazing, incredible, super awesome game like Dwarf Fortress, some people will tough it out and do the work it takes to figure out how to play, but you'll lose almost every average gamer. Second, the more likely option is that nobody is going to play your game. If you disagree, well, go ahead, but Valve doesn't sell millions of copies by listening to people like you. They listen to people like the 4 I watched play through the games.
What difficulty did you play Ep2 on? Easy? The final fight would have been impossible without the magnussen ball. On hard I was struggling even with the ability to insta-kill the striders. Atleast they were trying to change things up by giving you a new weapon. By your logic though we should just have had a re-run of the final fight in Ep1 though eh? There is already enough repetition in the half-life series, atleast a new weapon mixed things up a bit.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>O my god, you just opened up my eyes to something I never would've thought of... There is such a thing as normal people? Wow man didn't know that... Simply wow... -_-
Of course the game market is opening up more and more doors into the casual gamers domain. These people are your dad or even my neighbours grandad. This is especially true with the Nintendo wii and DS breaking down these gaming bariers for people who would've never thought of playing games. These people are of course not at all the gamers we all are at this forum and most other gaming forums. But I just got a minor anoyance out of the comentaries saying we are here to teach you how to do stuff. Sure you playtested it with a variaty of players. And it is nice to see how some things are introduced into a game. But about the teaching part, dunno looks to me it is just a repetition of something before and they also figured that out by themselves as well...
I played the game on hard and I just have a thing against silly weapons that make a game even more unrealistic then it already is. Sure it has it's entertainment value, of chucking balls at a target and blowing them up (I enjoyed that). But if I were that strider pilot I would've stomped gordon flat or at least kept him from doing anything like that. The strider actyally stepped on my car at one time, and nothing happened... It's true that a lot of the HL2 combat has been done before...
I'm not saying make everything realistic, since no game can do that. But I just get annoyed to see this stuff. Especially the chopper which has been in HL2 from day one, with the balls that are designed especially for Gordon to throw back at the chopper <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> Gameplay wise, yes a big fat plus. Silly idea to create from a combine standpoint, hell yes! Should it be changed to something else, nah. I just think it looks stupid and sounds stupid (imho ftw)</span>
Put everything in a spoiler for extra security...
Also what's with the childish personal attacks, I'm just stating an opinion. Not trying to change the world of gamedevelopment. Get of your high horse please, sheesh... @ Xyth <i>and</i> Tycho o.O"
I think you need to lookup what a personal attack is... Saying that somebodies opinion is not based in reality isn't a personal attack. Saying "You are a moron, go die in a fire" is a personal attack.
Anyway back on topic... HL1 was the better game if ya ask me, we'll see if ep3 can finally actually beat the original...
Also best scene from the game imho?
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Gordon+2 turrets+soldier1&2 vs the ant lions while protecting the vort+alyx. Absolutely loved that part</span>