Whats the point?

[DEATH eVADER]

I have a problem with HalfLife: Source from the screenshots I have seen on this forum. Valve have said it is a port with a few minor modifications to it....

So I have seen reflective floor tiles in Anomalous Materials: Great.
I have also seen refractive water in the level Apprehension: Excellent
I have seen Gordon shoot the specimen cart across the Test Chamber with physics: Nice

But I haven't seen them as yet use Photo-realistic textures, More apparent Static meshes, and the fact the NPC models just seem to be the ones used in the high definition pack.

I seriously hope they make some of the levels extended, such as the scientist-silencing levels of "We Got Hostiles", to the bowels of Black Mesa's transit system. And the fact that in all the game, you only see one Restroom means that continuity is flat (And this means scientists have to run for about 15 minutes just to take a leak). I wan't to have a feeling that I actually work here, and that all my colleagues are dying with a emotional responce.

Although it might be because it is early in development, I just hope that Valve do not fall into the money making scheme which involves making us all look like fools because we were so desperate to play our old favourite game with todays technology (which doesn't make full use of)

I would prefer to pay £30 for a quality remake that will have full replayability like the original when it first came out, than having to pay £10 for a remake that merely dented my excito-meter. And I'm sure many of you feel the same way

[qckbeam]

They aren't remaking HL1, they are porting it over to the source engine while adding minor modifications. Why would they waste all their new technology on a remake of a 5 year old game? They want you to see the Source as it really is, being stretched to the limits, in Half-Life 2.

[Reaperman]

they said it was coming free with HL2, so it must be finished...

it was the first source port they started work on...

[FoB_Ed]

They're just porting it to the new engine, that's all. They're not remaking the game entirely.

[SGT Tenor]

where did yous see the pics? Link please.

[riTuaL]

where did yous see the pics? Link please.

Yea I don't think there are any pics of HL1:Source

[oldagerocker]

Im hoping some nice modders will come out with texture packs/enhancements for HL1, so we can play it in its full graphical glory aswell as HL2... can the graphics be replaced so easily or would Valve have to be in on it? HL can't be copied totally over as a mod can it?

[GuNzABlaZiN]

They said it would be a direct port, we're lucky that they are even putting new stuff into it.

[Mr-Fusion]

They said it would be a direct port, we're lucky that they are even putting new stuff into it.
Yep, we're damn lucky they've even porting it. No other company would be so generous to it's fans therefore i have absolutely no justification for complaining about some elements not reaching HL2 quality.

[B-MAn]

yeh we are very lucky that they're bothering to make is HL:S. I havn;t seen any screenshots either....

[Shadow-warrior]

Its fine the way it is, no need for levels extended or stuff like that. Although high res textures would sure look nice.

[jabberwock95]

I would like nice textures and models and stuff like that. I hope HL:S doesn't end up as a strange, confusing mix of old and new technology.

As for adding anything, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I know we fans like to think we could improve on HL by miles, but remember, everyone has 20/20 hindsight. :cheese:

[wonkers]

who wastes their time playing HLs? You will have HL2 plus amazing mods. Why don't you ride a bike when you have a ferrari?

[DEATH eVADER]

who wastes their time playing HLs? You will have HL2 plus amazing mods. Why don't you ride a bike when you have a ferrari?

The bike can cut across fields, while the ferrari would get totalled for doing such a stupid and idiotic thing in the first place! :cheese:

[kiwii]

where can I find screens of the HL:s ?

[Kadayi]

I would prefer to pay £30 for a quality remake that will have full replayability like the original when it first came out, than having to pay £10 for a remake that merely dented my excito-meter. And I'm sure many of you feel the same way

I'm in full agreement. Porting HL¹ to Source and then not revisiting the games graphics, models and gameplay in any way is pretty daft tbh. I'd be more than happy to slap down £30 for a proper conversion to source, rather than having the freebie version Valve are offering up. Sure Valve are leaving the door open to a Mod team or two to pick up the slack with respect to textures, but without some central person dictating what's hot and what's not the end results could end up looking like a dogs dinner.

[DEATH eVADER]

I'm in full agreement. Porting HL¹ to Source and then not revisiting the games graphics, models and gameplay in any way is pretty daft tbh. I'd be more than happy to slap down £30 for a proper conversion to source, rather than having the freebie version Valve are offering up. Sure Valve are leaving the door open to a Mod team or two to pick up the slack with respect to textures, but without some central person dictating what's hot and what's not the end results could end up looking like a dogs dinner.

Where is Greg Coomer when you need him to send the word to Valve HQ :laugh:

[Biozeminade]

There's a picture of HL:S on the main news page people...

[azz0r]

They only did it to see how easy it is to port things over to the source engine.

[Kadayi]

There's a picture of HL:S on the main news page people...

Yes, we've seen it and were totally underwhelmed by the look of it.

They only did it to see how easy it is to port things over to the source engine.

If your going to do something like that, go the whole hog, not halfway.

[Pi Mu Rho]

Yes, we've seen it and were totally underwhelmed by the look of it.



If your going to do something like that, go the whole hog, not halfway.

So don't play it. It won't be costing you anything.

[Pi Mu Rho]

As a corollorary to that, I think it's a pretty cool exercise for the community to do that kind of thing - replace the models, update the textures etc.

Personally, I can see great potential.

[DarkStar]

As a corollorary to that, I think it's a pretty cool exercise for the community to do that kind of thing - replace the models, update the textures etc.

Personally, I can see great potential.

Totally. A proper TC of HL1 would be so cool. I wonder if anyone is thinking about doing that. Lord knows it would be a massive undertaking.

[blahblahblah]

Why doesn't Valve get a mod team and officially support them? Hell, take the Sven Co-op team and have them rebuild Half-Life and include a real co-op game.

That way we can get a quality HL:S conversion done. With new features.

[Pi Mu Rho]

New features would stop it being Half-Life. That means you can't add new weapons, new maps, vehicles etc.

Personally, I'm going to recreate the start of HL, from the train ride to the accident, only with higher detail.

[blahblahblah]

No, I meant add a real co-op to it. That's it. They would leave the rest alone.

[KagePrototype]

I find little point in complaining about something that you will be getting for free. If you don't like it, don't play it. It won't cost you anything either way.

[Kadayi]

So don't play it. It won't be costing you anything.

Dude, you should know better than to take that tone with me, :( if I'm saying something it's never throwaway, that's not my agenda. I 'm a big supporter of Valve and what they do, but I really think that re-releasing HL on the source engine in the halfway state they propose is a mistake.

When HL² is released, HL still remains the starting point for new players perceptions as to the franchises storyline. The development of Source was driven by Valves desire to produce a game engine that could deliver the sort of content they wanted to put into the original game, but were unable to, due to the constraints of engine technology at the time.

With a new engine, the opportunity exists to revisit the original and revamp it not only graphically, but also in the design and scope of the levels as well as in the games content. For example, there is a sharp difference in the level of detail that characters possess in HL² compared to HL. The barneys and scientists are throwaway in HL, where as in HL² it's clear to see that certain characters are much more distinct. It isn't going to ever be viable to populate HL with characters as fully fleshed out as Eli Vance or Dr Kleiner, but it would be nice to see some distinctness applied to each, and some backwards referencing done to define Eli, Kleiner & Barney from the rest of the Black Mesa Staff.

The whole of Half-lifes gameplay and levels were designed within the constraints of the quake engine and the limitations of AI at the time (the Marines can't run & shoot at the same time in the original fact fans). You can't just drop these aspects into a new engine and expect them to work as well as before, you have to tune them. The physics alone could seriously cause gameplay problems.

As a corollorary to that, I think it's a pretty cool exercise for the community to do that kind of thing - replace the models, update the textures etc.


In theory yes, but the reality is that converting the whole game by a mod team would be a phenomenal exercise, and there in lies the problem, because the issue isn't whether someone is good, it is whether they are committed and have the time to dedicate fully to the task. For every decent mod/conversion you get, there are dozens of half baked ones waiting in the wings. Without offical support, quality can and does go out the window, and it naive of Valve to assume that it is safe to let the first chapter of the HL story be revamped without some sort of quality checking.

I'd rather Valve followed blahblahblah's suggestion and appointed and supported a mod team to do the job and release it 6 - 8 months down the road at a price, after HL² has hit the shelves.

[Pi Mu Rho]

The whole point is that it's a freebie. People buying HL2 will get to play HL for free, running on the new engine.
To do what you proposed would require the entire game mechanic to be overhauled - it would, in essence, become a different game. The point was that it was a straight port, with nothing other than the basic graphic elements unchanged.

If a mod team does undertake the job (while retaining the original gameplay elements!), then maybe Valve will support that team in doing it. However, I can't see any mod team leaving the formula alone - they'll always want to "improve" it in their own way.
So I thank Valve for this, and appreciate it for what it is, not what it could have been had they expended another year or more on reworking it.

[JohnnyBeverage]

I'll be playing hl:s as i like to go back and play hl about once a year, i still love this game. It'll be cool to play it in source. But that will have to wait a little while since hl2 will come first.

[evil^milk]

New features would stop it being Half-Life. That means you can't add new weapons, new maps, vehicles etc.

Personally, I'm going to recreate the start of HL, from the train ride to the accident, only with higher detail.

thanks man, it's people like you that make things more enjoyable :)

[Mattigus]

First off, Valve said right from the beginning that Half-Life: Source would be just a direct port. You should not be suprised at all by the graphics.

As a matter of fact, I was suprised how good it looked. I honestly didn't expect any reflection maps or dynamic lighting. I wasn't expecting physics (actually, I didn't know what I expected.)

Modders, or maybe even Valve employees will mod HL:S with better models and textures, and that will make it look a lot better.

[Lobster]

With every piece of cult fiction, you have fans, and over the years half-life has alot of fan based maps, mods, stories and funnies made about it, alot of people would like to still use the old material in the future, and with HL Source i see it as a mini mod project for people just starting out, It doesnt take valve much time to port it, and hopefully they will leave alot of the resources open for people to enhance with source on there own, i know i might :D

[UndeadScottsman]

The point is that Valve can have all of thier games on their own engine, instead of one that still has legal ties to id Software. In addition, this allows Valve to maintain a compatibility between their products. (The Half-Life 1 engine runs better on OpenGl, while the source engine runs better in Direct3D. Steam was tacked onto the HL1 engine, while the Source engine was designed with it specificly in mind. ETC. ETC.)

Sincerely,
Jeremy Dunn

[Triggerhappy41]

HL:s will give a good introduction to HL2 for those who have not played the original. Keep HL for what it is tho. No adding weapons, levels, or enemies allowed. Valve are getting us started with new physics, water, and lighting. If we want to, we can upgrade the textures and the models, but it has to remain the same game.

[azz0r]

I have seen Gordon shoot the specimen cart across the Test Chamber with physics: Nice

I havent, link?

[CrazyHarij]

where can I find screens of the HL:s ?

http://www.halflife2.net/news//1093618899_hls1.jpg

[DevgruSeal]

http://www.halflife2.net/news//1093618899_hls1.jpg

Thats sweet...The barnacles are white tongued now.. :\ Go figure...

[DEATH eVADER]

I havent, link?

Its in another thread on this Halflife: source forum, its somewhere, but I don't remember which one

[Cole]

Look, valve dosn't even have to port HL:S over. JUST be happy there at least porting it over. I mean serioulsy, they are already giving us enough with just HL2 alone. Then adding Cs:S and possibly HL2's own multiplayer plus possibly HL:S free to dl\comes in the box for Buyers of HL2.
I think thats far more than enought hey have to offer. I mean serioulsy, according to planet half-life (Half-Life 2 section and scroll down) Valve are already working on HL2 Expansion and planning HL3.

Valve has enough to do.

[Kyorisu]

If you don't like what valve are doing with HL:S then form a mod team and remake the game yourself. I see no point in whining about it and getting nothing done. People have said many times before it's just a port and you can't expect much else from a port.

[SGT Tenor]

I'm eagwer to play through again. Only To get used to playing HL again. i've been playing alot of strategy games lately and am sort of getting back to the nitty griity of what is half Life.