Half-Life 2 Stutter problem exposed...(video)

[Stalkid64]

http://home.broadpark.no/~krhagen/

Someone posted the above video on the forums so that people could see just what we're talking about when we mention the stutter in HL2. I figured a few of you - either fellow patch-waiters looking for company or people who actually want to understand the issue - might like to have a look at it. This is in the earliest part of the game, on a decent system, with not much going on. Believe me this is *nothing* compared to how unplayable it gets in City 17 later on, but its an example.

[Gorxon]

That video is ancient...

Anyhow, that stuttering is indeed nothing. I experience it much worse usually. Lately it has improved a lot though, could be because I am playing indoor in a small enviroment now (Nova Prospekt).

[Stalkid64]

Nova Prospekt will be where you'll find out how bad it can get. I had it fairly annoyingly through the "break in" with the antlions, but most people agree that right around the end of that level (I don't want to spoil it by giving away certain scenes) is where the real trouble starts. After that, City 17 then just becomes a horrible nightmare and is where most people just give up with the game.
I heard amazon and others who don't usually accept software returns are doing so for HL2, probably because the bug is becoming pretty well publicised now. Kinda sad for such a potentially great game, but then it really shouldn't have gone out in this state.

[cooliscool]

Agreed. I'm about to give up myself; it's becoming extremely annoying. By extremely, I mean even moreso than that nublindwhatever "I ask a simple kestion" dude. :P

[Stalkid64]

"Half-Life 2 Stutter Bug: More Annoying Than A N00B Asking For ROMz."
Valve could make it a slogan.

[Trotterwatch]

They could make you type it everytime you want to play HL2 :)

[Stalkid64]

The funny thing? That'd still be less intrusive than Steam combined with DVD check. ;)

[Stalkid64]

http://www.davedelollis.com/videos/stutter.wmv
Newer and much better example.

[DuDe]

I do believe that we get the point.

[rcgamer]

on guru3d forums there is a thread about how to fix a lot of problems with halflife2 esp. for nvidia users. dont know if it will help you though. i havent played it.

[sheik124]

stutters like no tomorrow here too, and my system is no slouch
the image in my sig isn't nearly as annoying as this damn stuttering
"next chankast when?" :D :D :) :P ;)

[mezkal]

I do believe that we get the point.

Agreed and a rather pointless one at that. I've experienced no stutter at all since I set my heapsize accordingly, the patches have only improved my framerate.

I realise that this IS an issue for some people, but frankly, unless you're warezing Half Life 2, you really should be looking and posting @ Steampowered forums. There are a great many solutions to this problem there. Of course I realise that they won't ALL apply but you'll be a darn sighb closer to finding a SOLUTION there.

Otherwise the oroginal post just sounds like whining as the issue demonstrated in that old video has already been resolved with a patch (deployed within a week of the game's initial release).

[Stalkid64]

Actually it hasn't. Three weeks and counting and thousands of people still can't play the game. I'm not here for a solution because that's beyond the scope of this place, as apparently is understanding. Do I want people to be aware of exactly how bad it is? Yes. Is this a gaming forum? Yes. Therefore, relevant. No one is forcing you to read the thread after all.

[Trotterwatch]

To be fair to Stalkid, I've checked the Steampowered forums several times and the amount of trouble it's causing some people is amazing. Course the people who whine will be heard the loudest; but surely not even the staunchest of Steam advocates can say it is a perfect system without flaws?

[Stalkid64]

You've never encountered "The Valve UberFanboys"[t.m.] then. ;) They'd argue that everyone else in the world except them is wrong if they thought you were questioning the Word of Valve. Which on the plus side is extremely hilarious at least.

[smcd]

Although I was lucky enough to avoid problems with HL2, I do believe this will be the last title I buy from VALVe. Also, I don't like the direction they're headed with the whole "WE WILL CONTROL YOU" attitude of Steam and "activation" - while developers and publishers have the right to protect their interests and turn a profit for their work, the consumer also has rights - if they don't like having to pop in a CD/DVD, so be it. When a corporation takes protecting their interests too far and infringes on the rights of the consumer, it's just not good business ethic. Also, what happens when Steam is no more? Do you just lose your right (which you purchased) to use your products? I highly doubt VAVLVe will issue patches to remove the Steam and activation crap if they go under.

For an example of a better behaving company/publisher, look at Epic / Atari for the Unreal Tournament series. The UT2003 edition didn't get the no-CD in an official patch until the last retail patch came out (v2225), but they wouldn't blacklist you if you went online using a no-CD crack before this. UT2004 got it in the FIRST official patch - I think this shows amazing attitude on the behalf of the developer and/or publisher. Sure, they might lose money for those who get a keygen, but since the people can't do online play (unless it's on a cracked server) then they don't get the full enjoyment of the game. However the legal consumers enjoy a great game and less hassle, which means they have incentive to buy from them in the future.

[mezkal]

Seth, I agree with you on the vagaries of Steam and VALVe's paranoid protectionism BUT quoting ATARI (who are actualy the bloodsucking vampire stalinist regime known as Infogrames) as an example of a decent publisher is patently laughable. The real reasons why the NO-CD patch was introduced for UT2K4 were threefold:-

1. UT2K4 was essentially a full implimentation of the bungled release of UT2K3. EPIC even stated themselves, that it was basically just an expansion and "gaming issues" (read : crappy weapons and HUGE bugs removed/replaced) fix, furthermore the inclusion of the UT2K3 and 2K4 startup sequences as a demo files (as part of first BONUS pack) and UnrealTV (which was originally a touted but dropped UT2K3 feature) - meant that they finally added things that should've been there in the first place. The blame lies solely with ATARI for this.

2. In classic Infogrames style they milked it for all the could, so much so that the game had already payed for itself almot 3 times over. All the "for the community" BS (including the Bonus Packs) was just that. ATARI/INFOGRAMES basically turned the game over to the public because they could easily afford too.

3. needed a stellar title from which they could relaunch renamed as ATARA

Infogrames are just evil and it's really sad to that they bought the ATARI name. It makes them seem a lot connected and friendly.

Please understand I love EPIC but hate ATARI.

[sheik124]

aye i hate infogrames too, their name is so fucking weird.
lately some textures in CS: Source are rendering completly black unless I use the flash light, wtf

[Trotterwatch]

aye i hate infogrames too, their name is so fucking weird.
lately some textures in CS: Source are rendering completly black unless I use the flash light, wtf
Sounds like Doom 3 mode or something ;)

[sheik124]

Sounds like Doom 3 mode or something ;)
LOL, i needed that laugh

[smcd]

I included Atari in there because I was unsure about if they had a say in the "to CD or no CD" issues. My point was that (Epic perhaps) shows some interest in protecting their stuff using reasonable methods and after a short while even gave some back to the consumer - an officially sanctioned no-CD/DVD. Oh well

[AlphaWolf]

Three *major* (as in render the game unplayable) bugs that affect me:

The stutter bug (nuff said)

5.1 audio only coming from one speaker bug, affects all brands of soundcards, pretty hit and miss though: http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176516 This bug makes it unplayable because unless you are facing right at something, you wont hear it.

Jittery control bug: http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=204843 Causes all kinds of anomalies like flying at random even if you don't press any buttons.

This game is quite unplayable, and I am definitely not the only person seeing these bugs. I have a feeling that it is going to be a long long long time before valve fixes all three of these. Meanwhile I have owned this game for over two weeks already and still haven't played it yet.

[Stalkid64]

Well as of tomorrow that'll be four whole weeks since Valve started talking about a patch, with no official update still as of yet. Disappointing in the extreme. They did at least give into the people having Securom (sp?) / DVD burner issues and made it so retail versions no longer need the DVD in the drive to play. Still now I have a DVD that'll never leave its box again and a broken game. Erm... great? Then again a lot of people who have finished it have come away disappointed. Very few other forums are even still talking about it, so I think that feeling may be universal.
Far Cry picked up my "Game of the Year" vote, with The Sims 2 coming in a close second (sorry but damn is that game hilarious.) It's sad that with the sequel to the "best PC game ever" sitting on my hard drive I've spent more time on those two (and even more on an import copy of SW:KOTOR II - TSL...). Valve really need to get with the program, and fast. Else no one will stick around for HL3 - then Steam dies out and where does that leave HL2 players..?

[sheik124]

5.1 audio only coming from one speaker bug, affects all brands of soundcards, pretty hit and miss though: http://www.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176516 This bug makes it unplayable because unless you are facing right at something, you wont hear it.
no sound problems here, got soundstorm on my mobo running to logitech z5500's via SPDIF and it works fine in both CS: Source and HL2

[mezkal]

Thought this might be helpful to those who've missed it:-

http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/steampowered.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=280&p_created=1100884977&p_sid=D94y3Wsh&p_lva=&%20p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3Jp ZHNvcnQ9JnBfc%3Cbr%20/%3Em93X2NudD0yNzQmcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

Cheers,

[AlphaWolf]

no sound problems here, got soundstorm on my mobo running to logitech z5500's via SPDIF and it works fine in both CS: Source and HL2

Yeah, it works fine for some people. Some soundstorm users have been complaining and others say it works fine. Same with realtek and creative users.