Playing through HL:OpFor

archcommus

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Sep 14, 2003
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TBH, I'm having a lot more fun playing through this then I've been having in most shooters for a long, long time. I'm not sure what that means. Either games are changing and I'm not changing with them, or new games just aren't as fun as old ones. Honestly the only other recent shooters that were this much plain fun were FEAR and, of course, HL2 and EpOne.

It makes me want to replay original HL, but that wouldn't be as much fun just because I've played it so many times. I might replay Blue Shift, though. I know, it's short.
 

Compnewbie01

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Aug 8, 2005
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Blueshift sucks....Less than 2 hours on hardest difficulty =/ HL1 won't even play on my computer (crashes a lot), but I should try OpFor again....excellent game.
 

archcommus

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Originally posted by: Compnewbie01
Blueshift sucks....Less than 2 hours on hardest difficulty =/ HL1 won't even play on my computer (crashes a lot), but I should try OpFor again....excellent game.
HL won't play? That shouldn't be happening. Are you running it through Steam?

 

VIAN

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I liked HL and ALL expansions. Even Blueshift, sure it was a crappy value at the time, but still fun.
 

MmmSkyscraper

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I replayed the HL1 series a few months ago. Still holds up fairly well, despite the bugs and what's been released since. I feel different to the OP though, the new shooters have spoiled HL1 for me, it feels a bit basic and the immersion has gone...

HL1>OF>BS
 

DAPUNISHER

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Originally posted by: archcommus
TBH, I'm having a lot more fun playing through this then I've been having in most shooters for a long, long time. I'm not sure what that means. Either games are changing and I'm not changing with them, or new games just aren't as fun as old ones. Honestly the only other recent shooters that were this much plain fun were FEAR and, of course, HL2 and EpOne.
As I grow older, I've gotten to the point, where I find run&gun shooters , rhetorical i.e. akin to watching reruns of a good TV program. GRAW was the last PC title I played that really pulled me in. Squad based tactics, with the moving from cover to cover action, and need for varied weapons layouts and team deployments are far more fulfilling to me now.

I haven't even played a PC game since picking up GoW though. Graphics, game play *including CO-OP*, voice acting, and audio, in the campaign mode, are all very good. Story line is a bit generic though. The versus can allow for some run&gun but even then, if the opponents are skilled, your lifespan is short. fliting from cover to cover, using "blind fire", working as a team, and trying to keep 'em from using the chainsaw or sticky nades on ya, makes for good times. I guess my point is, that I agree fun PC shooters are rare anymore, rare enough that I finally transitioned to trying them on console.
 

VIAN

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Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
I replayed the HL1 series a few months ago. Still holds up fairly well, despite the bugs and what's been released since.
I remember this one bug that was a show stopper. About a quarter through the game you go up this elevator and while you're going up, it loads the next level. Instead of going the next level, it would kill me slowly.

 

MmmSkyscraper

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Originally posted by: VIAN
I remember this one bug that was a show stopper. About a quarter through the game you go up this elevator and while you're going up, it loads the next level. Instead of going the next level, it would kill me slowly.

Wasn't that just as you went into "We've got hostiles"? Certainly got me a few times. Had to jump up and down as the lift was moving to get round it.

I also had an annoying clipping thing where I'd try and jump onto a moving platform and get stuck, then the view would shake up and down violently like it was trying to put me in 2 places at the same time. I'd always have to grenade myself and try again. I learnt to quicksave before using any lifts or platform type stuff. Bloody annoying.

Couldn't see underwater unless I used OpenGL either. DirectX was having none of it.



 

brikis98

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Jul 5, 2005
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IMO, HL1 and HL2 are two of the best games of all time, so it's no surprise that most other games don't seem as fun as them. the expansions have all been consistently good but typically WAY to short, so not a great value. blue shift and episode 1 took only a few hours each, which makes you feel a bit like you got cheated out of your money (i don't remember how long opposing forces was).

incidentally, i recently replayed Deus Ex - another classic game amongst the greatest ever - and have to say that once you get used to the old graphics (did they really look that bad? :)), it still holds up quite well.
 

MmmSkyscraper

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Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers
Ive been meaning to go back and play the source version of HL1

I wouldn't, the bugs are still there and they've added more.

E.g.:

1. Suit volume at max can cause a CTD, have to turn the volume down until you find a point where it doesn't, then you may be able to turn it back up again.

2. Tried to move a crate so that it was in a position where I could jump up. After pushing a bit, the crate starts rotating on the spot, even though it was cutting through the floor.

That's where I gave up.

Just play the original, it's less frustrating.
 

MmmSkyscraper

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Originally posted by: brikis98
blue shift and episode 1 took only a few hours each, which makes you feel a bit like you got cheated out of your money (i don't remember how long opposing forces was).

Episode 1 was meant to be an episode, not an expansion. Still, I felt it was a bit short, especially given how long we have to wait for episode 2. Another game not cutting the mustard episodically is Sin. That was released before HL1:E1, wasn't that good and had some ridiculous bugs, and news on episode 2 is nowhere to be seen (not that anyone really seems to care).

OF was about half to two-thirds the length of HL, IIRC.

BS was a dodgy port of the cancelled Dreamcast game. Not much effort went into making it any good on the PC, just get it released and make some $$$.

 

Kromis

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Mar 2, 2006
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The only beef I have with Opposing Force is that its CDKey is not valid for use for a Steam account. :(

 

archcommus

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Originally posted by: Kromis
The only beef I have with Opposing Force is that its CDKey is not valid for use for a Steam account. :(
I think it is, I have HL, OpFor, and BS all on my Steam account and I did not purchase the Valve back catalogue, I just activated my existing CD keys.

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Make sure you get the high def model pack:

http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=438&
Thanks! Forgot about that.

Originally posted by: VIAN
I liked HL and ALL expansions. Even Blueshift, sure it was a crappy value at the time, but still fun.
I'll have to agree, I am playing through BS now and although it is short, it is a lot of fun, much harder than original HL or OpFor, and they did some really good things with the graphics and architecture of the levels. Really the game graphically doesn't look too bad at all.
 

Kromis

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Mar 2, 2006
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Originally posted by: archcommus
Originally posted by: Kromis
The only beef I have with Opposing Force is that its CDKey is not valid for use for a Steam account. :(
I think it is, I have HL, OpFor, and BS all on my Steam account and I did not purchase the Valve back catalogue, I just activated my existing CD keys.

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Make sure you get the high def model pack:

http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=438&
Thanks! Forgot about that.

Originally posted by: VIAN
I liked HL and ALL expansions. Even Blueshift, sure it was a crappy value at the time, but still fun.
I'll have to agree, I am playing through BS now and although it is short, it is a lot of fun, much harder than original HL or OpFor, and they did some really good things with the graphics and architecture of the levels. Really the game graphically doesn't look too bad at all.

This is what I meant with the OF CDkey.

I bought the Half-Life Platinum Collection 2, which comes with HL, CS, TFC, BS, and OF.

Of the 4 CDkeys that were in there (HL, CS, BS, OF), OF's CDKey wasn't valid for use on a Steam Account. Even the Steam support website says so. But at least my other three keys unlocked all the games in this pack! :D