HL-2... Install... So... Slow...

[Stalkid64]

*Yawn* nearly half an hour since finishing the main install, and it's still unlocking the files... I could be playing the damn game were it a standard installation.
1. Steam/HL-2 install - 10 minutes.
2. Steam account creation - a few more.
3. Unlocking files. 20 minutes.
4. Installing Source SDK - another 22 minutes.
No seriously now, this is stupid. :getlost:
Anyone else getting bored waiting..?

[blizz]

Shouldn't this be in gaming? ;)

Seriously though, this should be used as an excuse to upgrade to 8Mbps ADSL (http://www.ukonline.net/8000/) now! ;)

[Jaz]

8mb? Jeez. I thought upgrading to 2mb was good..

[Remote]

Don't you mean downgrading to 8Mbit? :P

[Modem]

Oh it's not that bad, and the game is MORE than worth the wait. Just spent the past 4 hours playing it. :D
- Modem

[-Shadow-]

/me deletes his preloaded files and waits until HL² is cracked...

[vampireuk]

Shouldn't this be in gaming? ;)

Yes, Yes it should.

/moved

[JinXD]

Hey at least your playin!! I can't get the fucker installed, see attached screenie....

The DVD isn't screatched or anything, just cuts out there every time. Anybody got any ideas? I already have Steam installed (CS-CZ), and everything else on the install I have left as standard.....

[vampireuk]

You didn't try some steam backup did you?

[JinXD]

Hmmmm, just tested it on a spare machine which never had steam installed on it and the game installed fine!!

Seems I have a problem with this machine and not my game disc.

No I haven't tried some steam backup. Reckon I'll try uninstalling steam then installing it from the HL2 DVD.....

[Stalkid64]

Apparently there are issues becoming known over on the Steam forums about the install being a little... "temperamental", shall we say? Along with texturing problems, menu crashes (which I experienced on the first attempt to run the game:()and a few other bugs. I for one am finding the sound extremely glitchy when walking around, and it's not like an SBlive 5.1 is an uncommon card, and am wondering why the "hardware level" in the menu is listed as DX8.1 when I have a fully featured DX9 card.

Honestly, this is the first time ever I've felt compelled to go to work when a major title is installing. Damn that was poor. Why didn't they just put the game and Source SDK on the DVD in the first place... *SIGH.*

Read this elsewhere which is truly insightful. ;)

I've figured it all out: the installation and registration process is part of the game. It's there to set the feeling of oppression and futility the player is supposed to feel at the start...
I am right there.

[Stalkid64]

Shouldn't this be in gaming? ;)

Seriously though, this should be used as an excuse to upgrade to 8Mbps ADSL (http://www.ukonline.net/8000/) now! ;)
(What a shock... moved ;))
Were I not in this crappy ass middle-of-nowhere inbred town I would love to, believe me.

[vampireuk]

Yes we moderators have this annoying habit of moving threads into the correct forums, curse us :P

I've heard that the steam backup service, whatever it is manages to completely fuck up the install and at least one person has had to format their system.

[JinXD]

YAY, got the game to install!!

Now I just need to activate it via steam, which is now being a complete bitch about letting me login again GGRRRRRRR.....

[vampireuk]

Give it around a hour it should be activated

[Modem]

The power of halflife compells you, the power of valve compells you, the power of this game compells you. I'm having fun with it. :P
- Modem

[Hexidecimal]

After the hour long process of activating, unlocking, etc, etc, restarting due to lack of sound, i FINALLY got it working, only to realize my disc needs defragged so it ocassionally stutters, but god damn, what an AMAZING game, anyone who says they didn't spend at least 5 minutes jumping the fanboat is a filthy liar.

[blizz]

I haven't bought it and frankly I don't care.

[JinXD]

Kick ass, even after the 2 hour drudge through shit that is steam activation.....

[dukenukem]

man if i hadn't left the game at the store for me not wanting to play this game but now it looks ok so i'll wait another 2 years to buy this game at bargain trash bin places,thanks for ya shots peeps.

[EdgeBlade]

YAY, got the game to install!!

Now I just need to activate it via steam, which is now being a complete bitch about letting me login again GGRRRRRRR.....

So what did you do diffrent? Install the game before installing steam? I have the same error. Also - is there a DVD version, cause I got the cd one, I didn't think to check, that kinda sucks for me.

[EdgeBlade]

I just read that this error happens on the standered version if you deselect the counter-strike source code. So in order to make it work, you must do a full install. Afterwards you can 'modify' the install and remove the cs sc if you want, through add/remove programs.

I am currently testing this by seeing if I can get this dam thing installed, I'll update you on if it works.

[EDIT: Added Text Below]

Yay! I'm on the final disk now, I passed the issue area, looks like this is the solution to that problem - pass on the info.

This was the way!

[Stalkid64]

Well I got rid of the "hardware level" issue by resorting to Beta Nvidia drivers released 2 days ago, but damn if the sound isn't still stuttering its ass off any time I walk which is incredibly irritating. On the plus side, 5.1 0wns for the most part. Particularly when a train is coming up right behind you...;)
Still, Valve could've done a little more polishing on the install side of things. Over an hour for a lot of people + bugs is just wrong.

[JinXD]

So what did you do diffrent? Install the game before installing steam? I have the same error. Also - is there a DVD version, cause I got the cd one, I didn't think to check, that kinda sucks for me.
Even though you've got it working, i'll post how I got mine to work! All I did was uninstall Steam, then re-install it from the HL2 DVD while installing the game. After that it worked!!

Now all I need to do is get the beta 4.12 drivers.....

[Martin]

I'm getting the Half-Life 2 Collector's Edition when it's out, should be 3 weeks or so. :)

Nice screenshots. :D

[Stalkid64]

Almost a screenshot :whistling
99 Bottles...

[AlphaWolf]

Not quite sure how but my brother got ahold of the collectors edition for $10.

[EdgeBlade]

This game has such cool little features that are just fun to mess with because it's unlike anything I've ever played. Attached is what I did with some blocks I found.

[cooliscool]

Yeah, the physics-based gameplay is really fun to play with. :)

[AlphaWolf]

I just looked at ebay, I am seeing a bunch of HL2 "buy it now"s for ~$26. Shipping ranges from ~$5 to ~$13, most of them worldwide.

[MasterPhW]

I'm getting the Half-Life 2 Collector's Edition when it's out, should be 3 weeks or so. :)

Nice screenshots. :D
You only want to play HL1 in source! :) But you only can buy it on steam or is that a wrong information?
But would buy it too, if I would had DSL! But today I get the original version for 40 bucks!

[DarthDazDC]

There's not much point in getting the collectors edition for half lfie source. From what i've seen on other forums, only the water has been changes and there are ragdoll physics for the humans. But besides that nothing's been changed.

[Modem]

If someone's only getting the collecters edition for HL2 for HL: Source, then they may as well save $20 and buy the Silver package online.
- Modem

[JinXD]

w00t, Halflife 2 on Linux >> http://www.linux-gamers.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=559

[-Shadow-]

The game costs around 35€ in germany. After all what I heard from Friends, it's really worth more than that 35 bucks! I changed my mind and I'll probably buy it. Is there any way to get the silver-hl2 package with HL1-Sauce in it at a local shop ?

[ScottJC]

Dunno, some packages are steam only apparently...

[Stalkid64]

Yup, yet another reason Steam is lame. Quite aside from the massive loading delays it adds to the games, SDK etc. Would've been plenty of room on the DVD for it too. For once I envy the pirates. :plain:
EDIT: Dammit, still not even the full SDK. No HL2-specific config for Hammer and no textures/fgd for it as of yet (meaning resorting to other methods to even begin working on maps), the auto compiler is broken (officially recognised) too. It's also had me download "Codename Gordon" four times now because it `forgot` I had it. :yawn:

[Trotterwatch]

Just started playing this game, and I'm impressed. It runs really well on:

P4 2ghz
Radeon 8500
512ddr
XP Home

High Shader
Medium everything else
No AA or AF (haven't tried AF, but it'd probably be ok, AA is of course out)
1024x768

I checked the FPS using the ingame benchmark which I left running for a while whilst running it. It came out at 50fps, which does for me. Haven't noticed any performance issues; inc sound yet.

[Stalkid64]

1.8ghz Athlon
GFFX5900XT
640MB (768MB in the next two days... oh ebay.)
XP Pro

Game defaulted to "high" everything @ 1024. Simple reflections were turned on but even "reflect all" leaves more than adequate performance. Haven't tried AA settings yet. The sound issue has become an officially-acknowledged bug over on the forums and will be patched. Hopefully soon, as the game is practically unplayable at times the further in you get.

[euphoria]

Does anyone know whether it's possible to install the damn game on a computer with no inet connection? Maybe activate it on a different computer and then move it?
Looks good tho.

[Modem]

You should be able to install it, yeah. Not play it though. It REQUIRES a internet connection to regester/activate the account. Once it's regestered, you're allowed to play in OFFLINE mode (which answeres your second question), which doesn't require a internet connection. Cripes, doesn't anyone read the system requirements anymore?
- Modem

[Stalkid64]

Bear in mind if you're talking about a retail version, you'll need the CD in the drive *while you play* if you were considering installing on multiple machines. I love having to run two storeys to fetch the CD depending on which of three PC's I choose to use. No, REALLY I DO.

[Modem]

Ahhhh, the benifits of buying via steam. :P
- Modem

[Stalkid64]

Yes, and from what I'm told the pirates benefit even more than that. No CD needed, no Steam (a security hole in the making...), MUCH quicker game boot times...
We all got screwed equally, whether retail or Steam. Tell me you don't see that.

Now that stutter patch has become essential as the City 17 sections are completely intolerable. In terms of usability and friendliness, this is without doubt one of the worst games I've encountered for a long, long time. I don't really think having to wait to play any further for a randomly released patch to fix an audio bug Valve *knew* about in a retail release is exactly a good, fun gaming experience.

[Modem]

When you purchase OFF of steam, it still requires you run steam to play it. I'm sure they've thought of something in order to help prevent more piracy. Though they can't stop it all, they can try to stop some of it. And I'm guessing that it still copies a equal ammount of files off of the DVD/CD'S in order to play HL2, so the only thing it likely needs the HL2 cd for is authentication. The loading is a problem with everyone with even pretty fast machines, though it's a little faster.
- Modem

[Stalkid64]

Sorry because I don't know quite how accurate this is, but I've been told by a reliable source that the game boots *much* quicker without Steam. It doesn't make you sit through all the `updating Steam`/`preparing to play` that the legitimate version does (even in offline mode it does sit around a fair while...). It runs the HL2 exe and jumps to the loading screens straight off; that's what I'm referring to. As for the CD being required for `authentication`... erm, what the heck was all that `activation` garbage and the CD key for then? ;)

[Modem]

According to what I've read, the game just has a slow boot time because it has to load the opening movies. If you can do the command line thing so it doesn't load the opening sequences, it'll loads tons better. Just gotta find that article. :)
- Modem

[Stalkid64]

According to what I've read, the game just has a slow boot time because it has to load the opening movies. If you can do the command line thing so it doesn't load the opening sequences, it'll loads tons better. Just gotta find that article. :)
- Modem
Now that's actually a very nice tip, though slightly off what I mean. I'm talking about the "pre-intro", where it sits on the desktop with Steam windows, apparently doing nothing in particular for ages (when you first run the hl2 shortcut) before it even changes the screen to the HL2 load sequence. The Steam-free version cuts all that out and jumps to the loading sequence quite a good deal quicker. You hit the exe and it switches the screen right away. I just hate the way the retail/legal versions taunts you by keeping you stuck on the desktop quite a bit longer than necessary, when the evil pirate scum can just get on with it...
:plain:

[Modem]

That's weird. For me, it only sits at that part for about 5 seconds, then starts loading HL2. Must *really* take a hit from slower processors for some reason.
- Modem

[Stalkid64]

Nope. I've seen both versions running on the same PC. Makes no difference.

[AlphaWolf]

FWIW I just bought HL2 for $25.95 after tax and there was no shipping. :P

[Stalkid64]

Then boy do I hope you don't hit the stutter problem. Game really is unplayable because of it from the coast to City 17 (where I've had to call it a day...) :(

[smcd]

My copy only started stuttering when I tried to overclock my video card. After resetting it to the default values, it runs smoothly and no crackling or stuttering.

[Modem]

Mine randomly stutters (as in slows down to the unlplayable 5fps), but only through the first couple hours of the game. Reloading a save fixes it. After a couple hours, it stops happening for me.
- Modem