Just because a game doesn't have something, doesn't mean it's inferior. When I play HL2, I don't think "Man, if I could only look around corners." The game isn't designed to need it, and it doesn't suffer because it doesn't use it.

I actually wish I could look around corners. I might suffer just a little bit.

Nevertheless, I <3 HL2!

[Make Gordon Lean????]

Any modders out there? If so, can someone


Make Gordon Lean????


Just a little. This game is freaking me out. I need to be able to peek around corners...

*NO REAL SPOILERS BESIDES GENERAL MOOD and difficulty*

I'm up to the beginning of chapter 7.
Holy cow the game gets freaky. Anybody remember "They Hunger"? Did they hire that mod maker to work on this game?

There's been some extremely tense lack of ammo moments. Forget the original Doom. This game freaking mobs you.

Pure insanity. This game really is a roller coaster from start to finish. Remember the moment where Black Mesa first started to go crazy? This game keeps throwing those type of moments at you....I can't believe how insane it gets.

Agreed! This is WAY TOO INTENSE. Just got out of the (spoiler alert)
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tunnel with the friggin sawblades. I could barely stand it!

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Spoiler over!

[SPOILER]

I feel like a doofus here.

I'm in the first courtyard... the big tower in the middle with the Big Brother dude soothingly giving his speech... and I don't know where to go!

SPOILER
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Turn :

i love that the game has widescreen settings.  looks awesome on this laptop and plays great.  i haven't been able to get very far in this as sleep grabbed me early last night after the unlock and work has me in it's claws now, but the game runs very smoothly and does not have any hitches in performance.  i hope to see it this well during heavy action sequences.  

glad that my laptop can handle the game as well as it does.  i was curious if the 9700 would be enough to cut it.

dell xps
3.4 p4 800fsb
1gb 3200 dual channel
mobile 9700 pro 128mb.  

also, how does steam handle multiple installs?  if i put this on my pc, can i run hl2 there as well?  obviosly not going to work any mp like cs this way, but if i want to use the bigger machine, will it let me have two instances of steam at the same time?

I would think multiple installs are a no-no. Uninstall from first cpu, reinstall to second, no problem. But at the same time? Expect a call from Gabe himself.

BAcking up <Gollum voice>My Precioussssssssss</Gollum voice> to DVD now. How cool is that????

I <3 Valve!

Sadly, though, this means I can't play for 40 minutes or so....


Backup can wait! :twisted:

lildrgn, what are your system specs?

I'm trying to get a consensus on what one needs to enjoy a mostly high framerate on this game.

Athlon XP 2800+
512mb ram
Geforce MX5700 (I think)

And it runs like a CHIZAMP. I'm so proud of my little guy! 1280x1024 and not a hitch.

Edit to add: all my Advanced settings are on default. Medium everything, pretty much. Still looks great. Tried bumping some stuff up and got the stuttering others are getting. I'm happy with where it's at for now.

Just played up to the point where you get your old trusty, rusty metal friend and enter the canals through the trainyard.

PHENOMENAL.

My mouth was hanging open the whole time in absolute giddy awe. From massive towers stretching into the clouds to tiny details like the magnifying glass on the desk. Flocks of birds flying in the distance, wavy forcefields, paint chipping off the walls, droids following you around snapping photos, the presentation is off the charts.

The characters are appealing and the early plot is actually funny! That cat gag had me really laughing, as did the stuff with Lamar. (Genius name that.) I can definitely see growing to care about these characters as the story unfolds. I like them already. Heck one of them is Benson!

The "cataclysm" isn't nearly as cataclysmic as the first game but it works nicely as homage.

I love the way the Combine soldiers are so instantly loathsome with all that pushing and prodding they do. That soda can moment ("pick that up") is a brilliant piece of emotional setup along with invisible tutorial.

My only complaint is load times. Loooong. The whole seamless effect is lessened considerably when you stare at that word LOADING for half a minute.

I hate to tear myself away but I'll have lots of time to get into it tomorrow night. I'm gonna go hit the sack, content in the knowledge that Half-life 2 is anything but a disappointment.

I kinda like the loading screens. Gives me a moment to catch my breath.

Absolutely amazing. Why can't all FPS games run this smoothly?

Ditto what jessie said.

Didn't see the bridge (no spoilers please!), but had much fun kicking arse.

Atmosphere is amazing, eh?

I have the morning off. Do I play more or hit the hay???

Off to play I go!

Athlon XP 2800+
512mb
Geforce MX5700 (generally considered KRAP)

Running at 1280x1024 and it is smooth. Rare stuttering when moving quick, but extremely playable.

Forgot to add that my Advanced settings are defaulted to medium on pretty much everything. I tried to bump up character models and textures, but got lots of stuttering. No thanks! It's awesome at default levels.

Here's my 5 minute spoiler free impression:



 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

Enjoy!

Peace out!

Not for me! I saw it this morning...


In a vivid dream. Pretty geeky. I remember being amazed at the realism in the characters, as well as getting bitchslapped when stepping out of line.

I'll be on at 9:00 EST, and FYI I put up a permanent 1v1 server at the same IP, port 7888, same password. If ever you hop on the main server and no one is there, give the other one a try--just don't forget to check back periodically and join the main server if it fills up! I did allow 1 spectator on the 1v1, so if people are ever on the main server and want to grab the 1v1ers, you can join as a spectator and tell them where the hell they should be playing. Let me know of any problems you encounter with the new server.

How does that work? Me and Hitbyambulance are trying to get on your 1v1 server, to no avail.

Seen some club shows solo.

If there's a bunch of people there, it's cool. If you're one of a few losers there, it can be teh gay.

Then again, you are there to see/hear, not be seen/heard, right? If so, then it doesn't matter!

I love you all!

Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga: SOLD
Warioware Minigame$: $15

It's Fun!

YGM!

When Mrs. Lildrgn says, "We should've gotten the lifetime subscription," you know what time it is.

Get the lifetime subscription.

Dammit. NOw I have to find time to play this game. I've played for 5 minutes. Too much talky talky.

I'll try some more later.

^^^^^

Awesome!

Jesus, is it that big of an issue?

To you, apparently, it is.

What about the week of Thanksgiving? BUsy then? We'll be there on the 22nd or 23rd, hopefully.

What I love is Eco's awesome, rational reaction.

"I did it. I knew the risks. I got caught. I'll deal with it."

I wish I could see the looks on the less mature l33t hax0rs faces when they realize that they're banned.

Let's see if I can do this right...

Buying an Xbox: $149
Modding the Xbox: $50
Buying Halo2: $49

Realizing that Microsoft has banned your ass for modding your Xbox: Pwned!

You guys are teh rox0rs!

I'll be there later this month, from Nov 21 to Nov 26. I'm not expecting long lines. Then again, we're really going for my daughter, who's 2.5 years and has a huge boner for anything Princess-y. She may have a heart attack when she sees Cinderella's Castle. :shock:

Tokek: checking PM now!

Let's see:

KOTOR for Xbox, only played for 5 minutes.

Some PC stuff too. I don't have the stuff in front of me. Anything you're looking for?

Oh yeah: Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga for GBA. Warioware for GBA. DVDs?

Anyone? I'm waiting for the Xbox Live 12 month kit (w/headset, Crimson Skies, and 12 month membership), but the MS store is out. In the meantime, I'd love a headset to talk smak to my brother. Help a bro out!

Sorry. California, hence the DisneyLand. And probably one day. The little ones wouldn't be able to handle anything more.

Instead of paying $50/each for my wife and I to visit the Magic Kingdom, is there anyone here that knows of a less expensive way to go? Keep in mind I'll have 2 under 2 in tow (they're free, of course). I figured if anyone would know, it'd be the remnants of the GGers.

[Can I get a Tivo that will allow me to record one program and watch live TV at the same time?]

That absolutely blows..so what you are telling me is that other than the DirectTivo, I cannot get a tv with two different output feeds?
That is much lessimportant to me than the main issue:

Can I get a Tivo that will allow me to record one program and watch live TV at the same time?

Appreciate the help.

I'm a little cornfused by a friend of mine. He just bought a Tivo and is gadget impaired, yet, supposedly, he has set it up so he can do just what Rage asked. I have yet to talk to him so I'm not sure what he did, but once I know, you'll know.

I wrote this a while back at the Home Theater Forum.

Hi guys,

Rio fanboy here. The Rio Karma is AWESOME! I've had one since the end of June and it has been great. I have about 2500 songs or so on it and about 4 gbs left.

Yeah, it ain't no Apple, but it really is great. Here are some reasons why.

1. Gapless playback. One of my main reasons for buying it. I have many live albums, bootlegs, concept, etc, and they ALL play flawlessly w/o gaps. Awesome.

2. Long battery life. One of my other main reasons for buying it. I haven't timed it from start to finish, but one full charge can last me 2-3 weeks (using in the car for 30-45 minutes a day).

3. On the fly playlist creation. What I'll do is set the Karma to do a random play, or songs I haven't heard in XXX days. I'll hear something cool, then think that Song XXX would be great to hear. And I look it up, hit Insert, and voila! Next song up is Song XXX. And after that, the list continues.

4. Ogg Vorbis compatibility. I admit I had no idea what OGG was before buying this unit. It wasn't until I realized that OGG supported gapless and that the Karma supported OGG and gapless that it all came clear. I ripped most everything I have with 192kbs OGG (level 6, I think) using CDex. Does it sound better than .mp3? Don't know. Are there gaps in Operation: Mindcrime? Heck no!

5. Included Sennheiser headphones. They aren't the best, but they beat the crap most manufacturers include.

6. Included dock supports USB 2.0 and ethernet and has RCA out to hook up to home stereo. Oh, yeah, did I mention the dock lights up blue when charging? Or pulses to the music? Or pulses when charging? Talk about sweet. Here's how cool this thing is. My computer is on one side of the room, my home stereo on the other side. I take an RCA cable, plug it to my receiver AUX IN, and set the dock on top. I have an ethernet wire running from my router to the dock. So what's that mean? I can play music from the Rio directly to the stereo. I can rip music to the computer and send it over the wire to my Karma. There's no need to plug and unplug and move things around. Genius!

7. Equalizer settings. There are some presets (Trance, Rock, Classical, etc) but there's also a robust customizable EQ. Very nice.

8. Karma as HDD. There is software called Rio Taxi that allows you to use the Karma as an external HDD. However, I've heard that it isn't very user friendly. YMMV.

So what don't I like about the Karma?

1. Lousy warranty. 90 days. Make sure you buy an extended warranty.

2. Questionable QA/HDD reliability. My first one died in 3 days. The HDD locked up. I did the dreaded Bitch Slap Your Karma fix and it worked for a sec, then failed. That one went back and I got a new one locally. That's worked great for 2 months now (knock wood).

3. Lack of aftermarket goodies. Aside from a few "homebrew" cases and an entrepeneur who has made static cling screen guards, that's about it. Not like the iPod where you can practically brew coffee with it, if you have the right attachment .

4. Moving parts. Yes, the scroll wheel is fragile. But so is an egg. Just be careful.

These are all observations off the top of my head. I've told many people that the Karma is quite possibly the coolest gadget I've ever bought. It's made me rediscover my music collection and I'm thankful for it. I sold my PS2 and many games to fund this thing. It's been worth every penny!

PS: the site that has the 40gb Karma? May be a "custom" job with a voided warranty. There is a guy at Riovolution who opened up a 20gb Karma, dremeled out all the tabs, inserted a 40gb hdd in and modded it. Not sure if the above site is doing the same or if their legit.

PPS: rumor has it that the Karma2 is just around the corner (Fall). Not sure about the specs other than it will have 40gb. Keep your eyes peeled.

Here's one more good Karma site: Karmalicious.ca

I love my Karma!

Doublepost:

It's 9:25pm PST/12:25am EST and no one is on the server. Teh suxx0rs!

EST EST always EST!

I work until 6:00pm PST and have to be at a father daughter thing at 7:00pm. After everything and putting the kids down, the soonest I'll be getting my ass kicked at UT would be 9:00pm or later. So, if you need me for the stress test at 6:00pm PST, I'll have to regretably back out .

But, in my honor, everyone do a self frag tonight and start at -1. It's on me!

I guess no one wanted a part of me. I jumped on and was greeted by 11 bots. You guys are all pansies!



Actually, it's probably the damn PST effect striking again. Curse you West Coast!!

Thank god for cable internet!

I'm d/l everything right now so I can maybe play once in a while. I may need a bigger hdd when this is all said and done.

Did someone say Fresh Blood???? :shock:

[was]

Holy crap! He was huge at 30 weeks! My daughter was born at 35 weeks and she was 5lb 12oz and 18". Our hospital was great as well. They basically give me training on how to be a dad. I wasn't ready yet and I used my Bradley Method classes as naptime :oops: . But the positive was that I met my daughter 5 weeks early and didn't have to do anything in the delivery room!

Say goodbye to playing Halo 2 or Half-life 2 anytime soon...

I played for an hour last night and enjoyed myself. I'm at the 3rd big section at the beginning, the Truth and Reconciliation part. I'm slow (kids, man!), and enjoying myself.

I think I'll make my way through Halo, buy HL2, then pick up Halo2 down the road.

Video games rule!

I'm curious why you'd be interested in Halo 2 if you are having a hard time continuing with Halo (especially when you are still fairly early in the game)?

Because I'm a sucker for the CG Forum Effect . My Xbox is only a few months old and I'm stocking up, I guess. Throw in a 10 week old, and a wife who's hooked on Tivo-ing ALL the Quantum Leaps it can manage, and I'm fairly limited in my time on the Xbox.

I want to be with my Xbox, but Real Life interferes a bit too much...

I'm borrowing a friend's Halo and just got the warthog. I don't know if I have it in me to finish the game. Besides missing out on a fun time, do I need to finish it before getting H2? I have a few bux laying around and am thinking of getting a prepurchase on it.

[YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!]

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!

This game is in First Place on my radar. Can't wait for it.

As a Huge Rush Fan, I scratch my head at your inclusion of HYF. Even the guys in Rush can't seem to stand it (according to their "official", recently released bio). However, to each his own, right?

I'm very fond of the following albums:

Muse - Absolution
Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
Juliana Hatfield - In Exile Deo
Rush - Signals, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, A Farewell to Kings, Grace Under Pressure, among others
The Donnas - Spend the Night
Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun

And I'm having a hard time coming up with more off the top of my head. Goodbye.

Edit to add: Weezer - Blue Album (thanks Sepiche!)