Release Packages (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

Retail

Standard Edition -

• Includes HL2 and CS:Source on 6 CDs
• Offered in one of three different style boxes (GMan, Alyx, or Gordon).

Collector's Edition -

• Includes HL2
• CS:Source
• HL1:Source
• A HL2 tshirt
• A Prima guide sampler. Shipped on 1 DVD.

Game of the Year Edition -

• Includes HL2
• CS:Source
• HL1:Source
• HL2: Deathmatch
• HL2: Lost Coast

Steam

Bronze -

• Includes HL2 and CS:Source.

Silver -

• Includes HL2
• CS:Source
• HL1:Source
• DOD:Source
• Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam.

Gold -

• Includes HL2
• CS:Source
• HL1:Source
• DOD:Source
• Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam
• Strategy guide from Prima Games
• 3 different HL2 posters
• HL2 hat
• HL2 postcard
• HL2 stickers
• HL2 soundtrack CD
• A chance to win a trip to Valve (1 trip per 5000 Gold packages purchased).

  Weapons (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

Melee Weapons Crowbar The old crowbar is back, this classic melee weapon was great for smacking headcrabs out of the air and hitting zombies with. Stun Baton Many Combine patrolmen will be carrying these. While it might not be as great as the crowbar, I would still count on picking one up in game. Pistols USP Match The standard handgun in the first game was a Glock, this time around it's the USP Match. Also a 9mm handgun with a 15 round clip. Another good weapon to take out head crabs or to knock down zombies a peg or two. .357 Magnum The obvious more powerful pistol of the two, it did appear in the first game. While it only holds six rounds at a time, each bullet definitely packs a big punch and the gun has dead on accuracy. Flare Gun First seen in the E3 2003 video 'Barricade', Combine forces will use the flaregun to call gunships to come to their aid. Sub Machine Guns H&K MP-7 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) The standard sub machine gun of the game, the weapon from Heckler & Koch will hold either a 20 or 40 round magazine. Count on the MP-7 to be the all around best gun to use agaisnt Combine forces. Rifles XM-29 SABR OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) Definitely a stronger weapon compared to the MP-7, the OICW shoots a powerful 5.56mm assault rifle with a 20mm grenade launcher. It will be great for packs of Combine soldiers or the Combine tanks. Sniper Rifle The sniper rifle will be key if you want to take out enemies with the element of suprise. Shotguns SPAS-12 The standard shotgun holds 8 shells. It is a popular weapon amongst police and special forces because of it's stopping power. Obviously, a great weapon for close quarters combat, but don't count on the shotgun to get the job done at long range. Energy Weapons Gauss Gun Just like in the first game, this extremely powerful sci-fi type weapon will instantly kill most enemies. Manipulator The manipulator is a new weapon and it's definitely turning out to be a very cool look weapon. It can pick up small objects and toss them at enemies near you killing them instantly. Explosive Weapons Incendiary Rifle No information has been released on this rifle; expect large amounts of damage out of this thing. HE Grenade Grenades will definitely come in handy just as they did in the first game. You will be able to over hand toss them and roll them. RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) The RPG will be back to take out helicopters and gunships that are pursuing you. And yes, it will still be laser guided. Molotov Cocktail Yep, even molotovs will appear in this game. Great for taking out bunches of zombies (not near you of course), the explosives will be easily as useful as grenades. Other Alien Pheromones These will be used to get the Ant Lions to turn to your side and fight other aliens. As long as you have these on you the Antlions will not attack you. Even better, if you throw a ball of them at an enemy, the ant lions will swarm it and kill it. Crossbow The Crossbow now functions as a sniper rifle. It fires long energy arrows and holds one at a time. You don't get many auxiliary arrows but it is a potent weapon. One shot will take any Combine soldier out.

  Overview (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

You are back in the shoes of Gordan Freeman, but this time the alien threat has spread across the world. Not only from the Xen Invaders but an all new threat has surfaced, known as the "Combine". Together they have caused global carnage. Working for the G-Man - it is your mission, with aid of Eli and Alyx Valance, to stop the threat of global domination. Use an array of weapons such as a pistol, shotgun, M-29 and Grenade Launcher along with others to finish of your enemies, ranging from Combine Soldiers to Ant Lion's! For more information check our Weapons Guide and Enemy Guide

  Enemies (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

Combine Elite White clothed Combine Soldiers that pack the same weaponry but with higher defense and the ability to use the Pulse Rifle's Secondary blast. Combine Soldier Your main enemy in this game, you will have to use tactics against them, because they use tactics against you. Keep in mind, enemy dropships can drop reinforcements at any time. They are rumored to be half alien, half human. They will be after you in any case, and with improved AI, you better watch out. Combine Sniper These guys can spotted by the blue lasers coming out of a window. Once you're in their sites, they will fire repeatedly. They can only be taken out by throwing a grenade into the window they are shooting from. Automatic Turret These weapons will fire at any non-Combine target in front of them. The only way to disable them is with the Gravity Gun or a grenade. Ant Lion A new alien, they are tough and they can be found in packs by the looks of things. Antlions will come out and attack when you step on sand. With alien pheromones, they will think you're one of them (they have no eyes), and they will then attack other aliens in the game and not you. Ant Lion Guard These aliens are three times as big as the regular ant lions. If they can get close enough to claw you, they will send you flying into the air. Best take them out from a distance. Pheromones will not trick these and they take a high load of firepower to take down. Headcrab Yep, the little critters that often pissed people off from the first game are back. They still have their massive leap distance, and the ability to turn a person or another alien into a zombie. Poison Headcrab These Headcrabs are very very annoying. If you're hit by one, your health will drop down to 1. The good news is, your suit will administer a Neurotoxin Antidote which will slowly restore your health. Zombie These guys are the unfortunate victims of the headcrabs. These things will now be seen crawling if they've lost some limbs. Corpse Zombie The quicker version of the zombie can be found after reaching Ravenholm. They can climb up pipes, run very fast, and leap good distances. A shotgun is the weapn of choice for them. Zombie Hulker A zombie with several headcrabs clinging. It'll take several shotgun bullets to take the thing down. The Hydra The only thing that we know about this thing is that it can stab people with whatever that water type stream is. The Strider The Striders are like the Gargantuan's of this game. They are 50 feet tall and they pack a laser cannon that will instantly kill you if it hits you. They are very smart and they are on the Combine's side. RPGs are the only thing that take them down. Combine Helicopter Weaker than a gunship, these annoying helicopters will chase you in the beginning of the game. It usually takes a turret to take them down. Combine Gunship You better hope you are in a fast vehicle when these things are chasing you or they will tear you to pieces fast. Combine Dropship Don't think you don't have to run from these ships, they will drop Combine troops near you. Scanners These machines will fly around City 17 looking for you. If you are spotted, get ready for a gun fight with some Combine soldiers and who knows what else. Rollermines As seen in the gameplay video, these things will be found on streets and such waiting to attach to your vehicle to disable it; or of course electrocute you if you're on foot. They can easily be rid of with the Gravity Gun. Land Mine A straightforward land mine. The plus is that they can be yanked out of the ground with the Gravity Gun and chucked at an enemy. Assassin If you can remember the female assassins from the original game, you'll know they can be quite a pain, especially when there's a few of them. Combine Tank The Combine forces will have weird looking tanks at their disposal. It hasn't been confirmed if you will be able to drive them yourself. Combine Police These combine are just police in City 17. They'll be found patroling around certain areas they don't want you in. If you get in their face and or try to go where they do not want you to go, they will chase you and beat you to death with their nightsticks. Ichthyosaur Another creature from the first game will be returning. These giant fish that chased you down like Jaws in the water of the first game will be back from more flesh. Man Hacks These robots will do just that if you don't take care of them quick. You can check them out in the Man Hacks video. They are persistant and will follow you around, they also tend to swarm at you in groups from different directions, so wrap your fingers tightly around your crowbar and get ready for a curveball. Barnacles These annoying little critters will stick to the roof of certain areas, and then drop their sticky tongue right down to the ground. They will often clump in masses and suck up anything that touches their tongue, and then proceed to lift it up and devour it. They can be overcome by rolling a barrel down towards a swarm of them, and while they are busy sucking it up and examining it, run underneath them.

  Characters (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

Gordon Freeman The one man army scientist from Black Mesa is back. The game takes place where the first one left off - meaning, Gordon is working for the G-Man now.
G-Man Probably one of the shadiest characters in a video game, the G-Man is technically on your side even though he is always up to no good.
Alyx Vance Alyx is the daughter of Eli Vance and is also a very important character in the game.
Eli Vance Eli is Alyx's father and a former Black Mesa scientist. Eli was badly injured in the Black Mesa incident (part of his leg is gone), but it is rumored that he will help you out in the beginning of the game.
Barney Calhoun Barney the security guard somehow made it to City 17 to fight alongside you. He made it through Blue Shift so hopefully, he'll be able to get through this.
Dr. Kleiner Dr. Kleiner, the man who taught you in MIT and got you your job at Black Mesa also survived the Black Mesa incident and he will be in City 17 as well.
The Administrator According to Valve writer Marc Laidlaw: "The Administrator was named in the first Half-Life but never seen until Half-Life 2. Many people mistakenly thought the G-Man and The Administrator was the same person, but that's not the case."
Father Grigory He can be seen in the gameplay video explaining the traps he set up throughout City 17: "this part of town has been booby-trapped by a friend of yours named Father Gregory, he’s kind of a survivalist monk. He’s left traps all over the place for you to make use of."
Dr. Judith Mossman Mossman has never met Gordon nor was she in any way involved with the Black Mesa incident. She is Eli Vance's research partner and is not to be confused with Alyx's mother who died in Black Mesa.
Vortigaunts Believe it or not, the aliens from Xen have joined you in battle. It has not been stated why they have joined you, but it will be nice to have these guys on our side this time around.

  Ace's Tweak Guide (needs to be ported to the wiki!)

Half-Life 2 Tweaks
HL2 seems to be running fairly well for most people but it's always nice to squeeze a little more performance out of exisiting hardware.

commandline switches

*** to enter command line switches, right click on the corresponding game in the Steam: Game Menu and hit properties. Under launch options type in the appropriate switches. eg -refresh 85 -width 800 -height 600 -dxlevel 8

-refresh xx where xx is the specified refresh rate (XP/2k is locked to 60 hz in game by default with vsync on. vsync should always be on when playing games)

-width x -height y

where x and y is the specified resolution. this should help for those with widescreen displays

-console

enables the console and disables the level background loading for the main menu which should decrease the start up load time

-dxlevel x
7,8,9 are possible switches. Most of the current ATI cards and the GeForce 6 series should run at 9 by default. The NV3x and GeForce 3/4 series will run at 8 by default. The GF4MX and ATI 7500s will run at 7 by default. If performance is sucking a lot, drop this down as a last result as this will decrease visual quality BY A HUGE MARGIN. If the game is not really playable otherwise though this is probably the only course of action that is left.

--- other tips ---

disk thrashing is because of a lack of main memory not necessarily video card memory. drop sound quality before dropping texture quality to try to fix this.

additional note - when running on a system with 1GB of memory everything defaults onto high whereas everything except for sound defaults to medium on a 512MB system. Play around with the different settings to see what is acceptable. Setting sound quality to medium and texture quality to high seems to run acceptably for me.

This comes from some posts made by Valve's Gary McTaggart. Thought it would be useful for you guys to have a quick summary of the posts. Toss up anything else that you guys have found helpful.

---- drivers -----

Latest video drivers


Nvidia 66.93 XP Drivers

ATI CATAYLST 4.12 Beta Drivers
Catalyst Control Center - The CCC allows for CATALYST AI which lets the driver adjust image filtering optimizations on the fly which should speed up performance for a small trade off in visual quality. This needs .Net to be installed. If the CCC does not run make sure you only have a single version of it installed as there is the default 1.1 distribution as well as the 2.0 beta. With both installed, the CCC will fail to initialize.

This message was edited by Ace on Nov 18 2004.

This message was edited by Ace on Nov 18 2004.

This message was edited by Ace on Nov 18 2004.