Below are frequently asked questions and their answers for Half-Life 2.
- What is Half-Life 2?
Half-Life 2 is the sequel to the popular Half-Life game that was released back in 1998. The original is often considered the most successful first person shooter of the last decade. In Half-Life 2 you once again assume the role of Gordon Freeman and it is a direct continuation of Half-Life. You have no idea what has happened in the time between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. It isn't just about running around shooting, instead the game has a deep storyline behind it, once again written by Marc Laidlaw. Sometimes the action will take a step-back and you'll be required to part-take in a puzzle or other task, or just sit back and listen to some dialogue.
- Who is Behind The Creation of Half-Life 2?
Half-Life 2 has been developed by Valve Software and is published using their proprietary Steam distribution system and via normal retail outlets published by Electronic Arts.
- Where Can I Buy Half-Life 2?
You can pick up a copy from any high street retailer selling PC games. If you're too lazy to move from your seat and walk to town then you can purchase Half-Life 2 through Valve's Steam. Steam is a broadband distribution system and you can download HL2 for a discounted price.
- What Graphics Engine Does Half-Life 2 Use?
The Source Engine is the technology that powers Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source and the other newest Valve Software games. The engine has been designed not only to provide best quality graphics, but also to bring a new dimension of realism and interactivity. The engine sports a realistic physics engine licensed from Havok, a fully DirectX 9.0 compliant shader system and technology such as high dynamic range lighting and a materials system. For more information on the Source Engine, please see our Source Engine page.
- What Platforms support Half-Life 2?
Half-Life 2 is available on the PC, Xbox360 and a Playstation 3 version will be released soon.
- What Are The Minimum System Requirements?
- 1.2GHz processor
- 256MB RAM
- DirectX 7 graphics card
- Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
- Internet Connection
- 2.4GHz processor
- 512MB RAM
- DirectX 9 graphics card
- Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
- Internet Connection
- What is New From The Original Half-Life?
Everything has been created from scratch with the new addition of the Source Engine. Breathtaking new physics and graphics are now possible and are exploited to their full potential. Most the characters rejoin the action in Half-Life 2 such as Barney Calhoun the Black Mesa security guard, Dr Kleiner a research scientist and the G-Man. There are other characters from the original too as well as a number of new ones. Head over to our characters page for more information.
- Who Voices The Half-Life 2 Characters?
The voice acting is an important part of Half-Life 2 and the bulk of the talent comes from the following voice actors, some of which you'd recognise from other productions or games.
- Dr. Eli Vance:
Robert Guillaume - Dr. Wallace Breen:
Robert Culp - Vortigaunt:
Lou Gossett, Jr. - Dr. Judith Mossman:
Michelle Forbes - Alyx Vance:
Merle Dandridge - Barney Calhoun:
Mike Shapiro - G-Man:
Mike Shapiro - Dr. Isaac Kleiner:
Harry S. Robins - Father Grigori:
Jim French - Citizens/Misc. characters:
John Patrick Lowrie, Mary Kae Irvin - Overwatch voice:
Ellen McLane
- Dr. Eli Vance:
- How Long Does The Single Player Game Last?
The single player game will be made up of 12 separate chapters each taking 3-4 hours to complete. This will give you around 36 hours of gameplay time.
- Is an Internet Connection Required For Single Player?
Unfortunately, yes. No matter what, your purchase of Half-Life 2 needs to be validated by the Steam authentication servers. This is a measure put in place to prevent piracy and also to ensure you get automatic updates in the future. You will need to connect to the internet on the computer you wish to play Half-Life 2. A common method of doing this is to use somebody else's internet connection, use a dial up modem to briefly connect to the internet or to install Half-Life 2 on a machine with a dedicated internet connection. After you have authenticated you can play in "offline mode" but will need to connect to the net and authenticate again after a number of days.
- Are There Driveable Vehicles?
Yes, you will be placed behind the wheel of a speeding dune buggy as well as an airboat, and crane.
- I have Never Played Half-Life, Will I Understand The Story?
Yes. As well as being a great appeal to people who have played the original due to the continuity of the story, Valve have also decided to make the story easy to pick up and follow for new players to the Half-Life universe.
- What Locations Are The Game Set In?
The gameplay is based on Earth (no trips to Xen this time!) with a large number of different locations such as an old disused train yard, the coastline, a dark prison, and a creepy abandoned village. The majority of the game will have you running within a large city structure called City 17.
- Will You Hear Gordon Freeman Speak?
No you will not hear Gordon speak. Like the first game Half-Life 2 has been designed to give you the feeling that you are Gordon Freeman.
- Is There a Playable Half-Life 2 Demo?
Yes! You can download it from Filecloud. Try out the first few levels of Half-Life 2 including the terrifying Ravenholm mission in this Steam-powered demo, direct from Valve Software.
- Are There Any Tools Available To Mod Makers?
Yes, a fully featured Source Development Kit (SDK) is available to those who own HL2 on Steam.
- Why Can't I Play Half-Life 2 In Offline Mode?
The most likely cause of this is that the game requires an update or it hasn't been completely downloaded to your computer. The easiest way to check this is to open Steam, go to your Games list, right click on Half-Life 2 and select properties. It will give you the "Amount acquired" and the status of the Offline Mode. If this isn't correct then ensure that the automatic updates are turned on for that game and restart Steam. If it still doesn't work in Offline Mode, or it hasn't updated the game any further, you can check your game files with those located on Valve's content servers by clicking the link below. You will be required to be connect to the internet for this procedure.
steam://validate/220
- I'm Stuck In The Game, Can You Help?
Yes, we can. There is a certain place for you to get help if you are stuck in the game. We have a Community Game Support forum which you can use to post your question to us. You'll normally get an answer within 24 hours. Providing you give specific details of what you've just done in the game, what you can see at the moment and any other information you can give about where you are (or even screenshots!) then you'll get help quicker. Alternatively check out our new game walkthrough section for a step by step guide.
