....and I'm wondering if I should get the Half-Life Platinum edition II for 30 bucks, or pay double that and get the silver pack so I can get the HL2 cheaper). I'm just not so hot on having to answer to steam in order to play my games or download stuff to buy the game.

I'd go with HL2 silver. That way you can play HL as HL:Source

On a similar note, does anyone know if they're ever going to put blue shift on steam?

That's a negatory on the Blue Shift Q. Gearbox, the developers, made funky changes to the engine, so it's not easy to put into steam. Not that great of a game anyway. I'd say Opposing Force is the most fun of the three (HL, OF and BS).

I often feel like the only person on the planet that liked Blue Shift. It was very short I'd admit, but the levels were high quality, and the high-definition pack pretty much took away the rip-off factor of it.

Whole-heartedly agree.

Wait, wait, hold up . . . there is a version of the original Half Life using the new engine?


Aye. Blue Shift was mostly BS...

You can get a boxed DVD version of HL2 complete with HL and CS:S from stores, just costs a little more than downloading it.



Where the hell have you been living?

I liked Blue Shift. It was way too short, but the levels were extremely well made, I thought. Plus it had the high definition pack, which improved the quality of all the weapon and enemy models.

If you can call it that. The lighting is nicer, the water effects are cooler, and special effects and some skyboxes are prettier. However, it doesn't use the High Def content, and Valve's being extremely slow in replying to my e-mail of "How the f*** do I do this?" to get it to work.

In the stone-age, apparently.

I'm kind of pissed that I can't seen to get HL:Source to run. It just hangs up at the loading screen when you first run the program. I tried redownloading to see it that would fix anything but it still refuses to finish loading. Arg.

That would require a DVD-Rom, something I don't have.

In the silver pack, do I have to download all the programs or do I get a box in the mail? I don't want to download because my computer downloads at a rate of about 100megs an hour, and I don't have that kind of patience.

I had the same problem Savage. This makes no sense, but go load the Hazard Course first, then any other level should load fine after that.

I found that the first load up on HL2 and HL1:Source were by far the longest, I would have to go get a drink and come back before they finally loaded in the menu. It hasn't done that since the first time.

http://forums.massassi.net/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27121

the whole HL:Source info with Screenshots.

Plus there was something refreshing about NOT being involved with the G-man or getting crazy alien/experimental weapons. You really were just Joe Shmoe working his shift. Only thought for a possible suggestion I would have would be for some type of boss. I'm not thinking ending boss like in HL and OpFor, just some significant singular force, say, when you're getting the spare battery before transporting yourself and the scientists away. Maybe some random experiment by Black Mesa gone wrong or something. Heck, a garg would be sufficient

It'd be sweet if you had to face a Garg while piloting one of those four-legged Cargo-shifter thingies.

Blue Shift was pretty cool (I'm in the process of replaying it, now. I'll probably end up playing HL:Source and Opposing Force again, too...) but it was pretty short and pretty limited. You only get a few guns and only fight a few different enemies.

I'd like to play Decay, the add on series for the PS2 Half Life starring Gina and Collette, who have the two other HEV suits. Apparently references to Kleiner are made, and Rosenberg appears in it, and some other doctor in a wheelchair. Plus the health and HEV rechargers have more than five polies! Pity it's only for PS2. A HL2 conversion would be great, if it were legal.



It doesn't come with Opposing Force, though, which is the best of the original games.

If you find your gaming taking infinite amounts of time to load, it's probably because it hasn't finished downloading yet. Right click the game, check the properties, and make sure it's at 100%. Steam isn't very clever, and it will attempt to run at any percent, and the result is a lockup on the loading screen.

Hope it helps.

You can play games on steam while they're downloading. I'm not sure if there's any limitations, but I know that you don't need the full download to play, as long as steam is connected (you can't play it in offline mode until you have the full game, though)

Then how are you on the Internet?

Same here, plus my copy game with OF, so I didn't feel like I got ripped off.

You don't get a box in the mail, but you can download the game from Steam again any time you want.

Silver is definately your best option (you get Half-Life and Opposing Force as well as some other stuff for only $10 more). However, the entire Steam package is about 7+ GB to download, which would take more than 70 hours...

I still think it's worth it though. You can pause/resume the download of these games anytime. If you can download while you're at work or asleep (on a PC in a different room if necessary), it will downloaded before the week is over.

If you don't have a DVD drive or a Cable connection, then your just pretty screwed (hehe i have both).

Update: My dad just bought a kick *** DVD-Rom that was on sell. Sweeeet.

My decision: I'll probably get the boxed DVD version. I would like to play some of the expansions like blue shift and opposing force, but I won't be sad if I don't. Of course, I still have to decide if I'll let Steam grab me by the balls and let it have it's way with me.

Well, whatever you get, you're going to have to use steam anyway.

Steam isn't nearly as bad as it sounds... trust me once you use it. i use to think the same about Battle-net till i used it.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION - FOR ONLY $60!

http://www.gogamer.com/cgi-bin/GoGamer.storefront/SESSIONID/Product/View/001HAL2C