FAQ/Walkthrough
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For PC
Version 1.0
By Chris Zawada
User: antseezee
E-mail: antseezee@epix.net
Created: 06/24/04
Last Update: 07/08/04
Copyright 2004 Chris Zawada
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Author's Note
----------------------------
As our gaming society has matured through time, games have continued to
astonish some, and downplay others. In very few cases, you'll get a classic
game that absolutely turns the gaming world around. However, for the past few
years now, there has been one game which players could always rely on for fun.
Not only has this been my keystone in my collection for over 6 years, but it
has undoubtedly provided more modifications, expansions, and additions than
any other game out there. This game is known as Half-Life. It basically
revolutionized first person shooters into a whole new depth by providing an in-
depth storyline that captivates the player, along with a superb playing
engine, and lasting graphics to this day. This guide will provide you with a
full step-by-step walkthrough for the single player mode, along with a
multiplayer guide, weapon ratings, and tips for expanding your gaming
collection from this title alone. Prepare to play one of the most action-
packed and flawless first person shooters of all-time!
Contributing/Feedback
----------------------------
If you have any contributions, feedback, or strategies you'd like to have
added to the guide, contact me via e-mail or on GameFAQs. I'll be more than
content to add your segment of information, and will also provide credit. If
you have any questions you'd like added to the Common Questions section, ask.
I simply don't have the time to sit around thinking of questions. Provide me
with what you want to know!
Updates
----------------------------
=07/08/04= v1.0
Finished the FAQ. I'm pleased with the finished work, although it does lack a
codes section. In my opinion though, it's 100% complete, and will be uploaded
tonight.
=06/24/04= v1.0
Started the FAQ. Expecting to finish this one within a week. This is one of my
favorite games of all-time, so I'm trying my best to make it extremely in-
depth, and pinpoint on detailing.
- To make it easier to find certain sections of the walkthrough, look at the
(#.#) next to the individual level of that walkthrough. If you press CTRL + F
on your keyboard, and type in that exact code (#.#), you will be able to find
the exact location of the walkthrough in this guide.
============================
- 1) Introduction -
============================
Perfect first person shooters are almost as rare as finding a unicorn in the
forest these days. Heck, it's almost impossible. Developers have been caught
up in enhancing graphics, adding more bloodshed, and altering multiplayer
development that they have missed the key point - balanced gameplay. Half-Life
is one of the first shooters of its decade to have a fluent balance in
graphics, gameplay, sound, online capabilities, and compatibility. Back when
it was released in 1998, its intriguing storyline took gamers to a whole new
level. They interacted with the storyline almost as if they were Gordon
Freeman, a lost pawn in the middle of a freak accident. Several years later,
it still proves to be one of the most dominant shooters out there, providing
several modifications such as Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat which hold the
upper echelon of online gaming.
The storyline is fairly simple. You're basically a lab assistant working in an
underground government facility that the public knows nothing about. In this
facility, you and hundreds of researchers are performing experiments issued by
the government. Some include the manufacturing of secret weapons, while others
are more biological and relate to external beings. As usual, you come to work,
and are to perform an experiment. Suddenly, the experiment goes haywire, and
hundreds of morphed aliens are warped into your underground lair. Now you're
surrounded by powerful foreign creatures looking to kill you and your allies
in a desolate location. The situation gets even hairier as you progress along
with the storyline. Not to spoil too much, Half-Life is a very exciting game.
Its storyline proves to be nothing short of toasting action.
Here's a brief excerpt from the instruction manual (credit to Valve Software):
Deep in the bowels of the Black Mesa Federal Research Facility, a
decommissioned missile base, a top secret project is underway. A portal has
been opened to another dimension, and human science has never seen anything
like the world on the other side.
You are Gordon Freeman, a young research associate in the Anomalous Materials
Laboratory. You have limited security clearance and no real idea of just how
dangerous your job has become, until the morning you are sent alone into the
Test Chamber to analyze of a strange crystalline specimen. A routine analysis,
they tell you. Until something goes wrong.
Is it sabotage? An accident? Or is it something you did? All you hear is
screaming; all you see is spacetime shattering. The next thing you know, the
entire Black Mesa Facility is a nightmare zone, with sirens wailing and
scientists fleeing in terror from the things their co-workers have become.
Hordes of creatures from the far side of the portal are pouring through rifts
in the local fabric of reality. Monsters are everywhere. Madness rules. You
head for the surface, but the usual routes are impassable-closed off by the
disaster, infested with headcrabs and houndeyes and increasingly larger and
hungrier creatures.
As Gordon Freeman, you must enlist the help of traumatized scientists and
trigger-happy security guards to get through high-security zones, sneaking and
fighting your way through ruined missile silos and Cold War cafeterias,
through darkened airducts and subterranean railways. When you finally come in
sight of the surface, you realize that the inhuman monsters aren't your only
enemies-for the government has sent in ruthless troops and stealthy assassins.
Their orders seem to be that when it comes to the Black Mesa, nothing gets out
alive... and especially not you.
When even your own species turns against you, maybe you'll be glad to see
another portal beckoning. But then again, on Earth you have allies; while on
the far side of the portal, nothing at all is familiar except the sense of
danger.
Save the Earth? Well, maybe. But that's a pretty low priority compared to
saving your own skin.
----------------------------
_____________________
##### GAME INFO #####
//////////|\\\\\
Players: 1-32 (online capable)
Developer: Valve Software
Released: 1998
Rarity: common
Special Features: STEAM/WON compatible, free modifications available
ESRB: Mature
Cover Art on box:
- Shows Gordon Freeman staring into the distance with a loaded shotgun in hand
============================
- 2) Game Basics -
============================
The PC is designed perfectly to fit the theme of a first-person shooter. Your
keyboard keys allow you to move, perform actions, and type detailed messages
to opponents. Your mouse allows you to rotate the view, fire, and perform
interacting actions. Plus, when you are playing an intense action game like
Half-Life, you're going to need as much control as possible to keep the
situation under a seal.
- The following is a list of recommended game controls. You can set them
yourself by going to the controls menu under Configuration.
______________
/Game Controls/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
- - use voice communication
Y - chat message
U - team message
Up - move forward
Down - move back
Left - strafe left
Right - strafe right
A - turn left
D - turn right
KP_ins - jump
CTRL - duck
E - use item
Left click - primary fire
Right click - secondary fire
R - reload
SHIFT - walk
F - flashlight
T - spray logo
1,2,3,4,5 - select weapon categories 1,2,3,4, or 5
Mousewheel - scroll between next and previous weapons
Q - switch to last used weapon
F5 - take screen shot
F6 - quick save
F7 - quick load
PAUSE - pauses game
- Movement in the game is very simple. The keypad 0 key will allow your
character to jump. You will want to place your left hand on the four
directional arrow keys, with your left pinky on the CTRL, and right index
finger on the KP_ins. Your entire right hand will go on the mouse, which will
control your firing of weapons, and view of the entire game. Using items or
interacting is a key skill that will be used frequently throughout single
player. You must interact with certain computers and buttons in order to
progress through the game. Screen shots that are captured are saved inside the
Sierra/Half-Life directory under a graphics filename. Most of the other
controls are self-explanatory, or are used during multiplayer.
___________
/HUD Screen/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In the traditional styling of a FPS, it's safe to say that understanding how
the screen layout works, usually increases the player's success rate of
completing the game. This section will describe the layout of the screen, and
what the functions are of specific numbers/graphics.
[1] - Health Indicator - this shows how much life Gordon has left. If
the number reaches 0, Gordon will die. You will
always start with 100 health, and you cannot
exceed that maximum number.
[2] - Hazard Suit Power - this shows how much power your special hazard
suit has left. This basically acts as exterior
armor as damage from enemies will be cut in half
while there is a % of power to the suit. When
the suit's power is 0, you will not receive any
protection. You can recharge the energy by using
special power meters, or picking up power cells.
[3] - Ammo Indicator - this shows how many bullets you have currently
loaded in your weapon, along with the remaining
stash of ammunition you can use. If the weapon has
a special secondary ammo, you will usually see the
rockets or grenades listed above.
[4] - Special Status Indicator - this shows whenever you enter
potentially dangerous situations, such as
an area with toxic waste, or electricity.
If you're hit by a specific element, the
danger sign for that element will appear.
Electricity has a shock logo, and toxic
waste has a skull with crossbones.
[5] - Crosshair - this is what you will use during the course of the game
for aiming weapons, and determining the center view of
Gordon Freeman. Use the mouse to navigate the view
wherever you desire.
_______________
/Basic Training/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Being an associate in an underground lab is one thing, but handling combat on
a regular basis is another. Before you can leap right into the intense action
that Half-Life possesses, it's a key quality that you understand the basics of
how to navigate, and engaging opponents in the world of Half-Life. This
section will describe some basic interactions that will occur throughout the
game.
...~> Combat <~...
/ \
- Engaging targets is simple in the game of Half-Life. Once you acquire your
first weapon (the crowbar), you may engage aliens by running up to them and
using the primary fire button. Each weapon will shoot out a specific blast of
its ammunition, and the enemy will be wounded. Creatures, humans, and
opponents can be killed by blasting enough bullets or explosives into them.
Other than that, it's a simple point-n-click process. You don't have to setup
any nasty combos, or initiate turn based commands.
...~> Puzzle-Solving <~...
/ \
- Puzzle solving is a process you must become familiar with to edge your way
across Half-Life. For the most part, the game is linear-based. However, there
are a few spots during the game where you can take alternate routes, such as a
vent shaft, or pushing objects into toxic waste. Consider the consequences of
your environmental hazards, and then work around them to complete your
objective. The puzzle solving is based at a moderate level.
...~> Navigation <~...
/ \
- Get use to jumping as it will be the prime way you reach obtuse locations.
You may perform a long jump by crouching and jumping at the same time. Walking
allows you to move without making any noise, but is faster than crawling
around. Crawling around is much slower, but does prove to be an efficient way
of aiming and staying hidden from opponents.
...~> Interacting <~...
/ \
- The use item button will be a key essential in opening doors and using
elevators along the way. Get use to pressing the button on computer monitors,
snack machines, and switches for interesting effects.
...~> NPCs <~...
/ \
- Throughout the course of the game, you will encounter numerous non-playable
characters that may assist you with your journey. Press the use key next to a
person to have them follow you. By luring certain people around to certain
locations, they may be able to unlock doors, secure areas, or even help you
fight off your daring opponents.
============================
- 3) Weapons -
============================
In order to engage enemies and opponents throughout the game, weapons are
truly the only way of interacting with your targets. Whether they are ranged,
close-combat, or explosive, each has a certain disadvantage or flaw. It's best
to understand the flaws and efficient capabilities of each item before rushing
out into battle.
.._____..
|CROWBAR|
"This is your typical crowbar used for prying objects open, and breaching
doorways. Thankfully, its heavy weight, and ability to be swung from the
hand makes it the perfect weapon in close quarters. However, don't rely on
an overwhelming blow to the victim. Use this as a last resort with no ammo
for other weapons."
"This is your traditional pistol firearm for most security guards and law
enforcement officers across the country. Equipped with a 17-clip magazine,
the GLOCK can lay down accurate shots on targets even from a hefty distance.
Its secondary fire sends out a rapid barrage of bullets at a quicker firing
rate. However, this packs hardly any wallop against bigger opponents."
"This is not your typical pistol. This baby is a powerful revolver coated
with a chrome outlaying to give it a Dirty Harry look. With 6-enhanced
bullets, the Magnum can penetrate even some of the most sturdy walls during
the game. While its rate of fire is slow, and its ammo capacity is small,
the power and accuracy is enough to be satisfied with."
"This is a specialized shotgun designed primarily for assaults. With the
capacity of up to eight shells, and a secondary feature that fires two
shells at once, the shotgun is a very favorable close combat weapon.
However, each shot requires a pumping on the manifold in order to fire
another bullet. This can be a drawback during an intense battle."
"The MP5 Submachine Gun is basically an automatic gun with lighter ammo
capacity. Unlike today's rifles which pack a wallop and have quite some
recoil, SMGs are a tad easier to control, and provide a fast rate of fire.
The 50-bullet clip is plenty to expend upon opponents during a firefight.
This gun also has a special secondary feature of launching grenades out
when gathered. These can be destructive to lighter opponents, and proves
to be a deadly combo."
"Grenades are small circular objects that provide explosive damage when a pin
is pulled, and the object is tossed towards the target. The grenades
featured during the game have a 3-second det from release, and can be
tossed farther by holding them down and jumping while releasing. However,
grenades can be awry at certain times, especially when they bounce back, or
are held on too long."
"Satchel charges up the ante on the gambling table. These are basically
high-detonation explosives that can be tossed as little pouches on the
ground. From there, you can then move away, and detonate them anytime you
want with either a detonator, or by shooting them. The explosive damage is
designed for leveling buildings, so make sure you get some distance between
them and yourself. The only downfall is that they cannot be tossed very
far."
"This is yet another groovy device that you will encounter during the game,
but rarely get a chance to use effectively. Trip mines are basically what
they sound like. You can mount these on any rock solid surface, and a laser
is then emitted from the starting point. If any object crosses this laser,
or the mine is shot at, it will explode for quite some damage."
"This is not your typical weapon to encounter on the battlefield. The RPG
is a rocket propelled grenade, or basically a rocket launcher. You can
launch missiles out, one at a time, or guide your missiles with a laser
dot by moving the dot at the specific target. The RPG is very useful in
inflicting large amounts of damage to tanks, infantry, and even aircraft.
The only disadvantage is a reload between each shot, and the kickback from
firing the rocket."
"At a first glance, you would believe that this item would totally suck.
However, the crossbow is basically the sniper's weapon of choice. This item
launches bolts out that soar slightly slower than a normal weapon, but
inflict high amounts of damage. You can take out some of the biggest aliens
with a few shots from this. The only problem is that it has a small 5-bolt
clip, and the time it takes for an arrow to hit a target."
"An experimental weapon developed in the Black Mesa Labs, the Gauss Cannon
uses a highly combustible energy, that is launched out in a piercing
pattern. The result is a high-density laser that shoots through walls,
obliterates organic targets, and literally kicks butt. The only problem is
that if it's charged too long in secondary mode, an overcharge will hurt
the user. Normal fire sends out rapid fire beams. It uses a special type of
ammo that is fairly rare, so don't expect to use it too often."
"This is probably the best weapon in the entire game. The Gluon Gun is yet
another extremely rare weapon acquired near the end that acts like the Gauss
Cannon, but has an unknown effect. It's believed that the item disrupts the
genetic code in opponents causing them to vanish into thin air. It is by far
the most powerful weapon, and sends out a blue beam of swirling energy in
a straight pattern. As usual, this uses the same rare ammo as the Gauss
Cannon, so use it sparingly."
"This is the first Xen technology you will come across during the game. This
item launches out mini-Xen bees which zoom in on the closest organic target
and take away minimal damage. However, the catch is that you will always
have 8 bees to launch, and the ammo regenerates itself even when depleted
at a rapid pace. So, you'll always have infinite ammo with this weapon. The
secondary fire mode sends the bees out in a straight ahead pattern at a
much quicker rate, which yields more damage."
"These pesky little buggers are actually weapons that can be fairly lethal.
Snarks are little Xen bugs that zoom in on the closest non-Xen target. These
can be lethal when tossed in tight quarters because your opponent must shoot
them in order to destroy them. They're very small, fast, and agile, so be
quick with the trigger finger when tossing them. They CAN chase you if there
are no targets in the vicinity."
============================
- 4) Walkthrough -
============================
Action games can get very cluttered at critical moments. Many times, you'll be
stuck on how to get past a certain puzzle, or simply tactics to use against an
opposing boss. This section will describe how to complete Half-Life, step by
step, and ensure a safe venture in the meantime. Enemy and boss strategies
will be included in the walkthrough, so keep your eyes open. Spoilers are
present, although I'm limiting them to an extent, so it will not be that bad.
The walkthrough will be split up into individual sections, depending on stage
differences and levels.
- To begin a single player game, click on the New Game tab right on top of the
main menu. You may now select from the following difficulties:
+ EASY (enemies are weak, do less damage, and have a smaller influence)
+ MEDIUM (enemies are at default settings)
+ HARD (enemies are stronger, have more HP, and dish out more damage)
*Our brief adventure starts out with you staring through the eyes of Gordon
Freeman, a Research Associate, working at an underground government
facility called Black Mesa. You'll soon realize that you are traveling on
monorail system heading to your daily session of work. Apparently, you work
as a lab assistant in the Anomalous Materials section of the facility.
Black Mesa is no walk in the park however. It's a massive location
containing newly developed technologies, and also a place where freak
experiments are tested out all the time. The public knows nothing about it,
and the government would like to keep it that way in the meantime.*
*As you travel along the monorail, you'll get a few humorous quotes from a
loud speaker in the background. You'll see some interesting scenes
including a toxic chemical leak, rocket being dismantled, and even a stout
man in a blue suit (whom you will get to know quite often). You will
eventually arrive at your station where your lab is located.*
A security guard will walk over and unlock the sliding door for you. Exit the
car, and head down to the door. The guard will again unlock the door and let
you through. Walk up to the receptionist desk, and the local patrol will let
you know that you're late for work, AGAIN. Start off by going down the hall,
making a right, and continue down the hall. You should pass a small snack room
on your right. Enter this doorway at the end of the hall, then make a left in
the room to find three tubes. One should contain a Hazard Suit. Walk up to the
control console, and press the use button (should be "E"). This will unlock
the shield holding the suit. Get use to interacting with certain doors,
buttons, and consoles with the use button. Run up to the suit, and you will
now be equipped with the Hazard Suit. This is especially designed for
protecting you from dangerous chemicals, materials, and events that could
prove dangerous to your health. It can also be considered armor in a sense.
Walk back to the middle of the locker room, and you should find your locker at
the far right end, before the place that leads to the bathrooms. Walk up to it
to open it up, then run in to grab a power cell on the ground. Now leave the
locker area, and head back past the cafe. Make a right to go down the other
split section of this hall. A guard will open the door permitting access to
the area ahead. Run around the center wall, and hit the button on the doorway
to draw the elevator up. Go down the elevator by hitting the button on it,
then run outside. Run through the curving corridors, and another guard will
let you through. You're at the Control System now. Talk to the three
scientists in the room.
*Apparently you are needed to perform some labor duties on the next
experiment. A sample has been brought in by the government, and they want
you to do some in-depth analysis. The Administrator is very worried about
this specimen, and it has a high priority.*
Head through the door, and enter the next door on the right. Go down another
elevator, then enter the test lab door.
*Two fellow scientists will inform you that this is there "purest" sample
yet. One scientist is worried about recent malfunctions in the lab
analysis machine, but the other one assures him nothing will go wrong.
Both men will then open the door to the test lab.*
Head on in, and prepare for instructions via a loud speaker. After several
seconds, the scientist will instruct you to turn on the rotors. Go to the far
end of the room, and climb the ladder. Move up to the console at the end of
the railing, and interact with it. The rotary blades will now be turned on,
and the machine will begin to charge up. One of the scientists says he sees a
small problem, but then never mentions it. Your specimen will then be loaded
into the test lab once the machine is charged up. Run up behind the cart
that's holding the crystal, and walk towards the center ray. Gordon should
push the cart towards the middle. When it hits the middle, all hell breaks
loose.
*Suddenly, mechanical parts start to explode and malfunction in every way
and direction. Scientists start screaming that something has gone horribly
wrong, and they tell you to get out of there. You'll then witness a series
of strange creatures, or aliens who start to appear at the Black Mesa
facility. You'll also be temporarily warped to the alien's world, and be
surrounded by these hideous beasts. Finally, you'll get tossed unconscious
on the ground, and soon awake back up in the test lab.*
As usual, the alarm to the government facility will be blaring because of the
recent incident. Make your way back out the door, and use the retinal scanner
to cause the door to open up because of an error. Head past the dead bodies to
the elevator, and use it to go up. Go meet up with the nearest scientist, and
he will tell you to get to the surface to find help. The scientist will help
open the doors up ahead, and have him follow you for the set distance. Up
ahead you will find a risky laser that cuts against the wall in a set pattern.
You can usually crouch under it, but be careful as some nearby components will
explode, and body limbs will be released in numerous directions. The second
laser is a tad more tricky to dodge, but you can still jump or crouch under
it. Once you make it around the corner, walk over the Crowbar on the ground to
receive your first weapon. The crowbar is basically what it stands for, a
simple melee weapon that is fairly weak. You can smash various objects with it
like glass panels, wooden crates, and even kill a few weaker aliens with
several hits.
Look at the nearby door, and you'll note that it has several glass panels.
Crouch, and smash the lower one, then crawl through. Go up ahead to the next
door, and smash through it, and crawl through. Suddenly, you'll hear screaming
and witness an elevator full of scientists plummet to the ground below (where
they all get squished). Not the best site to see on an eery day. Climb down
the ladder to where the elevator crash site is, and pick up the power unit for
your Hazard Suit. Climb back up, but this time, climb all the way to the top.
Meet up with the nearby security guard, and help him kill the two zombie
walkers. Have him follow you now, and proceed through the upcoming 2 doors.
Around the corner, you'll find 2 more zombies, and a headcrab on a scientist's
head. Once you reach the "T" in the halls, interact with your security guard
to have him stop.
Go back to your locker room, and check the opened locker to your left for two
clips of Glock ammo. Go back to your locker, and you'll find two base power
units on the floor. There's also a medivac healer near the bathroom stalls if
you're low on health. Bring the guard with you, and head back to the reception
desk from the first portion of the game. A vent should explode open revealing
a new path. Crawl through, but watch out for the headcrabs in this room. Jump
over the flipped over shelves, and crawl through the other shaft opposite of
the room. Jump out to reach the next area.
The nearby scientist in the room will be killed. Go to the Sector B door, and
grab the Glock off the dead guard. The glock is a semi-automatic pistol that
fires fairly accurate with primary mode. Holding down secondary mode will
release a quicker burst-fire, almost like an automatic, but not quite as
quick. Conserve your ammo though as this is your only weapon for now. Crawl
through the small opening, and watch for the two shockwave creatures. They'll
start to scream really loud. When their voice pitches, a blue shockwave aura
will be released in the surrounding radius. You should either kill them before
the shockwave comes out, or simply run. Go left and you'll notice that a man
in a blue suit is watching over you. Not to reveal too much, but this is the
famed Administrator you have heard much about.
You'll see two more shock creatures to deal with. Go left up ahead, and a
doorway should explode revealing a red room. Kill the creatures that spawns
out of it, then check out this room for more Glock ammo. Go back to the
previous room, and make a right now. Climb up the ladder, and kill the 3
aliens sitting up above. Go through the halls to the far end, and check out
the Armory room for some grenades and pistol ammo. A nearby scientist should
help you open that door. Head back to the area with the Red Room, and now go
right. You should see a little sewer hole that leads into water below. Jump
down, and then go to the far right end of the pipes. In the corner should be a
valve. Turn it to flood the pipes with water. Now swim back, but look for a
vent opening on the top. Don't go back to the first hole you jumped through,
but rather a hole in one of the other pipes. Swim up and jump through it.
You'll now be on the other side of the wall which is blocked off with some
metal fencing.
Move ahead and take some more ammo off of a dead body. Hit the giant lever
against the wall, then jump onto the giant elevator. It will slowly take you
down to the area below. However, watch above as several headcrabs will try to
ambush you. I found it best to stand somewhat in the middle of the platform,
and lure each headcrab to leap up and over me into the toxic waste below. This
saves pistol ammo, and makes the whole process less painful. Once you're close
to the ground, jump to your left to reach ground level. Kill any nearby aliens
that pop up, then smash the nearby crates for some ammo, health, and
consistent powerups. Go thru the corridor, and a thin metal bridge connecting
the two area will collapse. Jump to your right onto the wall pipes, and use
them to reach the other side. Leap to the other corridor, and walk through.
There's some power units and ammo in the crates ahead. In the next room, drop
down below onto one of the wooden crates. Avoid the rope eating aliens as they
can kill you in one hit. Shoot their base four times to rid of them.
Get behind each of the large wooden boxes, and push them into the toxic waste
river in the middle of the room. You'll notice that the objects float. Push
two or three of them in, then jump on them as boosts to reach the other area
of ground. Go through the green door, and continue up ahead. You will be in a
room with hanging boxes. Climb the first two ladders, then leap from box to
box to reach the door on the other side of the room. Go through the left door,
climb the ladder, and head through the next two series of doors. Make it to
the other side of the catwalk, go right, and use the elevator to proceed to
the next level of the game.
The Office Complex is practically a series of interlocking clerical rooms with
basic computers and nice diplomas hanging on the wall. Its close, traditional
design will provide for some nasty scenery, and lots of navigation to do.
Start off by looking to your left, and you'll notice how the electricity is
zapping aliens that cross a certain line. Shoot the vent cover next to the
electricity, and quickly crawl through. Crawl left, and take the ammo by
carefully navigating yourself under the ventilation fan. Head back, and take
the right route. Jump into the room, but watch for the rope eaters. Go right,
and hit the switch in the small room to turn off the power to this location.
Leave the scientist alone as he will not go with you. Head through the two
metal doors, and run past the electric area. Since the power is off, they will
not be shocking anyone, anymore. Smash the upcoming window, then leap through.
Jump through the broken window to your right, but DO NOT touch the water.
You'll notice an electric cord is electrifying the water in this room. Make
your way across the room by jumping onto non-wet surfaces, then hit the light
switch to turn off the power to this room. The water will be safe now.
Jump into the water, and smash the vent cover along the wall. Crawl through.
Eventually, you'll fall down as some ceiling tiles lose their support. Open
the two red doors, then go to the storage door. An alien will chop away at the
wooden door. Lure him to break down the rest of the door, then kill him. Go in
the room to find some glock ammo. Smash through the cargo boxes in the
upcoming area, and grab the shotgun you'll find. Kill the nearby alien, and
the security guard will open the gate for you. The area below this has some
health and ammo in wooden crates. Go through the hallway where the guard just
opened the gate. You will find some ammunition in this back room. Head back to
the area with the storage door, but now look for an area with two LOCKED red
doors. Push two nearby crates to the ceiling hole, and then use the boxes to
boost up there. Jump up to the ladder, and climb above. Destroy the vent cover
to your left, and then jump down.
A scientist will run out to greet you, but suddenly, an automated turret will
pop out, and kill him. Duck behind the wooden crate for protection. Use your
pistol and keep shooting the turret till it dies. Make your way to an area
underneath where the turret was, and hit the switch to open a door. Go in the
small side door to your left for ammunition, and some powerups. Now, go in the
main hall where the scientist came from, and climb the stairs. Another turret
will pop up behind you, so keep aware, and take that out too. Watch for some
headcrabs up above as well. Go through the door, and then another door on your
left. You will find some power pods. Go ahead, and there will be a ton of ray-
shooting enemies. These guys are fairly new, and will launch powerful laser
attacks after charging up. Aim for their eyes, and take them out with your
useful shotgun. There are about 15 mixed in this interloping area of office
subrooms. Go right, clear out most of the rooms for additional powerups. Go
back to the mid left area, and then head upstairs.
*A scientist will inform you that government soldiers have arrived to save
everyone from the horrors that have presented themselves.*
Use your pistol on the turret above and continue ahead. Open the door, and
you'll find some grenades in the room below. Some ray shooters will spawn
after you visit this room though. Head back up, and have the nearby ally
follow you. Go into the office ahead, and blast away the wood in the doorway.
Watch for the headcrabs that fall from above in the lunch room. Go into this
dark doorway to reach a new and brightful area. Hit the wall lever to enter
the cooler. Go along the right paths in the cooler, and clear out the aliens
as you go. You'll eventually reach a room before the last one. Look for a
bright red switch at the far end of the room, and hit it. You should see a
conveyor platform to start scrolling back and forth. Now, head back to the
first room, and climb to the top of the shelf. Go through the nearby vent, and
continue going through the vents up ahead. You'll reach an area where you need
to cross via the moving platform. Shoot the boxes on it to free up some space,
then time your crawling motion across. Crawl through the series of vents, and
crawl left through a series of vents.
Jump out, shoot the aliens, then climb more stairs. Go left up top, and a
scientist will leap through a solid window. Go in this room for some ammo.
Continue up ahead to the elevator shaft. You'll hear a scientist screaming for
help as he dangles above. Climb up the series of ladders, however, he will
soon fall and plummet to the darkness below. Once you reach the top of the
elevator, shoot the vent cover on it to open up a small hole. Jump down below,
then open the elevator door to reach the next area.
You will now be at a high security storage facility. Go right, and you'll note
that an innocent guard will get dragged into a vent. Look near the red open
door for a button on the wall. Smash the glass to sound off an alarm and seal
the area. Quickly run through this before it closes, and go ahead. You're
going to face a lot of standing turrets up ahead, so get ready. Destroy them
using a shotgun or Glock from a hefty distance. Look in the lower right
portion of the room for an MP5 off of a soldier's body. Go through the next
hallway and break the glass to sound off the alarm again. Jump over the
upcoming two lasers, and watch for 3 ray-shooting aliens. Head to Storage Area
1. Take down the turret around the corner. But avoid the red lasers that are
popping out of the wall. These devices are actually sensor lasers that will
activate turrets in the vicinity. Do NOT shoot these turrets, or you will
activate them. You can actually sneak by them if you don't touch any lasers,
or shoot at any of the machines.
Watch for some ray-shooters to spawn behind you after you enter the room. Leap
onto the green crates, and boost yourself to the other side. Jump down, and
destroy the two turrets, then move ahead. Break the glass, run through the
lasers, jump over the next series of boxes, then continue ahead. Repeat the
last process from before. Jump on the nearby crates, and watch out for the
trip mines. Climb the ladder, and you should now be on a tall catwalk leading
to a new area. Enter around the corner, and you will see a Black Mesa
scientist run to the rescue of the government soldier. Unfortunately, the
soldier blasts away the scientist with no remorse. Quickly go down and kill
the soldier. All of the government forces are equipped with MP5's.
Hit the button on the wall, and then board the elevator to go up. You will
find 4 soldiers in this room, so be careful. Note that they will toss grenades
if they have an idea of your position, but cannot see you. Check the wooden
boxes for health, ammo, and power units. Now, go upstairs and proceed through
the next doorway. Break the next glass alarm, and go past the rope creatures
on the walkway. You should now be at a T-split. Go right, and run back through
a conveyor belt. Climb some boxes to reach the next upper belt, and run
through that one too. Cross the mini-bridge, and take out the lone soldier
behind some sandbags. Now, drop down past all of the red lasers, and sound the
alarm for the next door. In the next room, two panicking scientists will run
to 5 soldiers, who slaughter them mercifully. Kill the 5 soldiers, then make
your way up the room. Along the way you will find ammo and health.
Cross another catwalk up above, while avoiding the rope eaters. There will be
5 more soldiers in the next room, and be cautious as some are hidden behind
boxes. Grenades will be very troublesome in this room. Drop down, and hit the
button to initiate an elevator to come down. Take it up, and you should hear a
military chopper in the background. There will be a few more soldiers around
the corner in the open. You have finally been able to see what the outside
surface of the facility looks like. Unfortunately, the area is locked down by
government forces. Make your way to a center bunker that has a ladder going
down. Climb down, and go left to re-equip. Enter the ventilation access, then
go through the next door. If you look above, the chopper will destroy the roof
to the vent access area. Move back, wait for the debris to fall, then jump
out. Slowly make your way to the bottom, jumping from ledge to ledge without
taking any major fall damage. Be careful though as two soldiers will rappel
their way down in the opened roof. Go in the vent at the lowest level. Jump to
your left, then climb down. Go take the bottom vent, and you will be in a new
room. Take the middle vent to reach the control room from before.
*The nearby scientist will inform you that the government's plan for fixing
the problem is to eradicate all links to the Black Mesa facility. Thus, the
soldiers are your hostiles as well as the aliens. He says the only way to
fix this problem is to make your way to the Lambda Labs, where hopefully
the scientists can figure out a solution to the problem. You can reach the
area by taking a decommissioned railway under the facility which leads to
the labs.*
Hit the button on the control console to gain silo access in the facility, and
go through the newly-opened large door.
Start off by smashing the wood to your left, and entering the new room. You'll
now be in the control console. Kill the alien to your right, and hit the
lever. An elevator should rise. Board it, then hit the button to go down. You
will now be in a large railway. Board the mini-cart, and press the use button
to turn it on. Press up to increase your speed. You can squish some of the
aliens easily. When you reach a large red horizontal beam, jump out of the
cart as you are reaching a danger zone. Go back to the cart, and use it for a
boost to reach the walkway on the right. Go under the pipes to the other side,
then climb up the ladder. Jump into the pipe, and plop out on the other side.
Leap to the other elevated pipe, and then jump to the solid nearby balcony. Re-
equip via the nearby powerups. In the next room, run across the pipe and onto
the elevator. Go up, and destroy the 4 shockwave creatures ahead. On the
railing, go right, and you will come across more aliens. Cross the center, and
hit a lever for the next door. You will start to hear a large banging. I'm
going to refer this area as the CORE.
Make your way ahead until you are in a small control room. Suddenly, a large
tentacle arm will smash through the glass, and kill a scientist who tried to
reach for a test fire button. This creature acts as a mini-boss for the most
part, as he can only be destroyed by launching the test engine rocket to
incinerate him. The creature has 3 arms, which move around the core, and keep
banging at various locations. The creature has no eyes, but reacts to sound.
Thus, you have to crawl or walk in this area to get by undetected. It easily
gets distracted by sounds. So tossing a grenade on an opposite wall is great
for reaching an area without taking damage. You may also shoot one of the arms
to cause it to lower temporarily for about 5 seconds. This is great if you're
about to enter a ladder or doorway, and don't want to get hit. Anyhow, make
your way up ahead, you should be on the very top of the core. Distract the
creature, and make your way down to the lowest level in the core. Smash the
wooden boards covering the door with a grenade, but toss it from a distance.
Wait for the creature's attention to lower, then sprint through the door.
Before you can test fire the rocket launcher on the creature, you need to turn
on three elements - Oxygen, Fuel, and Power. We're going to start with Power.
Jump across the gap in the metal platforms, and then jump past the second
hole. Kill the 3 shockwave creatures, and move ahead. Go right, and hit the
button. Board the elevator down. However, it will short out after a brief
amount of time. Look to your left, and leap for the long ladder. Climb all the
way down to the bottom, and then jump to the solid concrete via the small pipe.
*The scientist standing next to the control console hopes the Lambda Lab
can fix the problem. Unfortunately, without any power, there's going to be
problems activating the trains in the railway. His bud went down to the
power generator, but hasn't come back in quite some time.*
Go down the hall, and jump over the toxic leakage in the hallway. Hit the
button on the platform to spin around to the other side. Jump onto the ladder
and climb up. Make your way around the outer edge to the left and right
ladders. On top are two buttons which have to be hit within several seconds of
each other to activate the power generator. You will know you've accomplished
your mission when blue electricity shoots out of the spinning generator. The
scientist on top, who was hiding, will be killed by the device, so don't worry
about him. Now that the power is activated, make your way back to the elevator
shaft, and climb the ladder. Jump up top, and make your way back to solid
ground. Now, push these small metal boxes down into the hallway right in the
narrow entrance. There should be a power generator to your right. Jump on top
of the box, then onto the generator, then crawl along the narrow elevated
wire. Make your way over the electrified water, and then drop down. Go back to
the main core.
Climb one level while avoiding the humongous creature. Go across the catwalk,
and take care of the aliens along the way. Go right, and down the ladder.
Smash the sewer grate, then climb down the long ladder. Move ahead on the
small pipe, and make a left at the T. Climb the ladder, and kill any aliens
above. Go ahead, and in the next room, make your way down to the base of the
large fan. Hit the button to start it up, then climb back up top. Jump into
the middle, and the fan is so strong that it will boost Gordon upwards. Pull
out your crowbar, and smash the wooden planks on the roof. Then, float over to
the vent cover, and smash that as well. Now, crawl through and smash the
cover. Smash more wooden beams, then crawl ahead, and smash the cover to drop
down. You will now be in the control room for the fuel and oxy of the rocket
engine. Hit the button on the console to turn on both features, then hit the
button by the sliding door to open it up. Go through the door, and make your
way back to the Core. Get to the command console by climbing all the way up
top, taking care not to make too much noise. Once you're in the room, and now
that all of the features are online, run up and tap the Test Fire button. Move
back, and watch the fireworks.
*The rocket engine will test fire, launching three large fiery beams that
toast and burn the giant tentacle creature to nothing more than a pulp.
That mutation is nothing more than a burnt muffin.*
Now that it's out of the way, you can climb down to the lowest level. Note
that there's a new hole where the creature once was. Jump down this hole, and
strafe down the winding tunnels. Jump down into the large pit with water, then
swim up. Leap up into the small aclove, and check the security guard's body
for a Magnum Revolver, along with some ammo nearby. Drop back down, swim
under, and go around to the outer edge of the small concrete layering. Swim to
the surface water on the one side, and then jump to the dry ground. Move ahead
over the toxic waste. Climb down the ladder, and refill your status with the
nearby chargers. Climb back up, and jump onto the long pipeline. Use these
pipes till you reach a wall, then drop off to a side pipe, and take that all
the way to the other side. Jump to the pipe ledge, and then jump onto the
large pipe. Leap over to the small hole in the fence of the pipe entrance, and
run through. When you reach the end of the pipe, the small section will
collapse with you inside. You will lose a majority of your health. However,
jump on the table for two medpacks, and smash the boxes for ammo, more health,
and powerups. You will also discover some trip mines in the boxes too. Go
ahead to reach the next area.
_______________
/Power Up (4.6)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Continue down the hall, and suddenly a large ruthless creature will slaughter
a marine. This mini-boss primarily has two different attacks. One is where he
will lift his foot then stomp down a raging red beam that goes in a line
pattern towards you. The other attack is a twin flame launcher where he'll
burn you to a crisp whenever you get fairly close. If you look in the far
diagonal corner of the room, there will be a hallway. Make your way there,
then take a left to the Track Control destination. Move ahead on the railing,
and the one end will collapse. Kill the aliens that attempt to ambush you, and
check the boxes for ammunition. Now, go down the lower hall and it should lead
back to where you were coming from (but one level down). There will be a few
headcrabs along the way. Make sure you refill your health at the charger. Some
ray shooters will spawn as well. Move dow the hall, and look for a valve. Hold
down the use button on the valve to wind it so the door is completely open. Go
through the door into the toxic pit.
Climb the ladder and rid of the soldiers above you. Grab the ammo and nades
where the one marine body is dragged into a vent. Climb again, and you will
find a soldier and a turret to deal with. Refill on your status, then go down
the hall. Move to the opening, and take out the soldier with your Magnum
Revolver. Make your way to where the explosives are, and plant two trip mines
(one on each side). Leap up on the middle ledge, and then go through the new
door. Lure the soldiers inside to follow you, then jump back across the
walkway, and watch them die from a humongous explosion thanks to the trip
mines and explosives. Go back in the new way they came from, and make a left.
Pick up the new ammo and recharge your armor. Then hit the button to cause for
the Power Generator elevator to lower. Take it down.
When you reach the bottom, some shockwave creatures will try to race towards
you and set off the mines. Take them out, then crawl out through the opening,
and fall into the water below. Climb via the ladder, and detonate the mines
from a safe distance. Now, move ahead to engage more shockwave creatures. Make
a left in the circular room, and go down the stairs. Go down for two levels
till you reach the Maintenance portion of the stairs. Go into the water-
covered floor, and watch out for the underwater leeches that peck away at your
health. Go to the far end and look at the machine. Smash the two wooden boxes
jamming it, and the machine will now start lubricating. Now, climb a flight of
stairs, and enter the new area. Go to the end, and hit the button to enable
Power Unit 1. The power will now be restored. At the same time, you will hear
a Marine's radio call in the background. Climb the stairs, and go back to the
Power elevator. It will start to lower with two soldiers. Quickly take them
out with a MP5 grenade. Use the elevator to go up, and then jump back out, and
head back to the place that puts you where the large creature was.
You will now notice that two large silver metal doors which weren't open
before, are now open. Proceed down this large tunnel, to an area with two
large shockers. Move to the end of the room, and hit the lever to turn the
main track power on. At the same time, the two shockers will connect with
shining blue beams of light. Take the hall on the right to avoid being
shocked, and head back to the open arena. Here comes the fun part. Catch the
attention of the large Cyclops, and lure him after you. Sprint back down the
large tunnel, and take the hallway on the left to avoid getting shocked. Move
to the railing with the power lever, and he SHOULD see you. He'll start
running towards you when he gets shocked and blown to pieces by the shocker.
Good work, Gordon. Now, head back to the main room, and jump on the cart under
the little inlet. Press the use key on it, and drive it forward to the center
platform. Now, go back to the room with the fallen railing, and go to where
the one door is boarded up. Smash away the wooden planks, and go inside. A
security guard will be proned on the ground nearing death. Grab his revolver
ammo, and use the medpack to restore some life. Since the train cart is on the
center platform, his the lever to cause the platform to rotate it towards the
other track. Jump through the small window, and drive the train cart ahead. It
will smash right through the concrete barrier set up to stop it. You will now
proceed to the next stage of the game.
________________
/On a Rail (4.7)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Your brief ride will shortly stop at a security gate along with a security
guard overwatching your progress.
*The guard says that the Lambda Labs have contacted him with some new
information. In order for the hectic problem to be resolved in any way,
they need a special government satellite delivery object to be sent up
and in orbit. The soldiers set up the launch site for the rocket, but
have failed to launch it. If this satellite can get in orbit, then the
labs might have some success in fixing this problem.*
After hearing the valiant speech, hit the nearby switch to flip the gate open.
Move ahead in your cart and watch for the rope eaters. Your cart will lower
via a mechanical elevator into a water-covered tunnel. Continue on the path
making your way around the tracks. You'll come across switches, which look
like orange-mounted objects that allow you to change the path your cart goes.
To switch to an alternate path, simply shoot the switch once, and it will flip
to a different direction. However, let's go back to the walkthrough. As you
dwindle along the path, go straight through the first switch. When you reach
the second switch, shoot it, and your cart should go straight. At the open
area, kill the poison spitter to your right, and watch for the rope eaters on
the roof. Go ahead, and another spitter will pop out on your right. Jump off
your train, and go upstairs. Destroy the small boxes blocking your path, and
hit the lever on the control panel to move the crane blocking the path. Ride
the rail straight ahead to the first switch you see, and shoot it so the
direction points to the left. Take the new path up on your cart, and you will
go on an elevator.
This is a fairly tricky part though, leap off and climb the first ladder you
see. Take out the guard standing there. Climb the next ladder to your right,
and take out the remaining guards. There will be a soldier around the corner,
and go right. Snipe the two soldiers that are exposed down the alley, then go
back, and take the left path. Nade the middle two soldiers and rid of them.
Look along the left wall for some dead alien bodies (which the marines were
fighting before). Go up the stairs, recharge your armor, then climb all the
way back down the elevator shaft. Take your cart up the elevator, and move
straight ahead. Your cart should stop at the gate. Normally, you'd have to
combat several enemies, but since you took them out before, this will be a
breeze. Jump off, hit the switch to open the gate, then move your train cart
forward.
Up ahead you will find more marines and a few planted trip mines. Shoot them
down, and continue ahead. Stop your train at the first hall to your right, and
dismount. Clear out the corner on foot, and check the middle area for ammo or
health. Go upstairs, and clear out the rooms for marines and aliens. You will
be able to find some nifty medpacks, boosters, and specific ammo along the
way. Now, go back down to the lower lever where you first started. Move your
cart ahead, and stop at the newest area. You can tell when you see sandbags
blocking your route ahead. Immediately to your left will be 3 soldiers; take
them out in a jiffy. Board off, and take the right hall. More aliens and
marines will be battling it out, and it's best you not interfere. Let them
eliminate each other, then take out the remaining forces. Go into the first
room on the left, and look beyond the box for a security guard. Have him
follow you to lay down support fire, and check the branching off to the right.
Destroy the boxes for some power units, but be weary as some headcrabs will
fall from a vent above.
Now, go back to the main hall, and continue ahead. Around the corner is a
mounted bunker machine gun. Toss a grenade behind it to eliminate the guard,
and the threat also. Leap across the tracks, and then go through the right red
door that says Blast Area. Crawl along the small right ledge until you see a
guard below, and snipe him with the Revolver. Climb down, and go through the
next blast door. Jump onto the next cart, and ride it through. Avoid the red
lasers by crouching, otherwise, pesky turrets will be activated. Some spitters
will also try to attack you as you proceed forward. Check the door on the left
for some leftover ammo on dead bodies. When you reach a sudden spurting corner
to the left, BE CAREFUL. A mounted RPG launcher will continually fire at you.
You can duck under the shots, however, it keeps on firing in successive blows.
Pull out your Revolver, and snipe out the guard next to it, by bobbing your
head up and down as the rockets fly overhead.
Destroy the trip mines ahead, and go up the hill. There will be two soldiers
above. You can recharge your armor via a nearby booster. Hit the lever to open
the nearby gate blocking your path. Go back to the original cart you were on,
and ride it ahead. Suddenly the second cart to your left will start moving
with a guard. Take him out, then jump off your cart, and start following the
second one that went down the tunnel. You will see it in the distance stopped
at another gate. Right to the right platform where you'll see several boxes
and a MG to your left. Here comes the tricky part. There's a mounted MG to
your right, right around the corner. You're going to have to eliminate the
three soldiers hiding behind the boxes first, then pull out a grenade, and
toss it behind the MG bunker to destroy that. Pull out your grenades, and toss
one to catch attention. As the soldiers scramble, pick them off with the
Revolver. Finally, charge towards the bunker, and get close enough to it on
the lower ground so that it cannot hit you. Toss the grenade from this safe
location for a job made much easier. Once this is clear, you can go up the
stairs, and restock on ammo. Go next to the MG bunker, and hit the lever to
open the gate.
Continue ahead, and stop at the elevator. Go right, and take the right
elevator up by yourself. There are two boxes right by the entrance that have
satchel charges. Once you're at top of the elevator, you will notice that the
way is blocked by explosive boxes. Toss a satchel charge behind the boxes,
then send the elevator down. Detonate it from a safe distance, go back up, and
get off the elevator. Now, go over to the ladder, and proceed down. Kill the
lone soldier, then go up one level, and head back to your cart. Drive it
straight forward, and it should rise all the way up. Once you're at the top,
you'll notice streams of electricity shooting out. Time your way past them,
and take out the 2 trip mines around the corner. In the next area, stop your
cart at the gate, and watch out for the moving boxes. In the right corner are
two boxes. Be careful as two soldiers will pop out and try to ambush you.
Quickly nade them, and hit the lever behind their dead bodies to open the
gate. Proceed ahead on your cart.
After you make it over the hill, the next area has two side lasers. Time your
movement with the train cart so that you do not get sidewhacked by boxes. Once
you make it through, there's an RPG around the corner. Use the same tactic
from before by rushing it with the cart, crouching, and then popping up with
your Revolver. Ahead will be a High Voltage area. You will have to time your
movements so that you do not take major damage from the two moving beams. Once
you're past them both, hit the nearby switch to proceed forward. Stop the
train at the missing gap in the tracks, and go down the right ladder. At the
bottom will be a laser that crosses the ladder's path. Leap off before you
touch the laser, and go into the small room. Eliminate the two aliens, grab
the remaining ammo, and crawl out via the small window. Jump over the tracks,
and proceed ahead. Around the corner is a lone soldier and a mounted MG. Try
to nade the mounted MG from a distance, then charge the right hall, and take
out the guard around the corner. Grab the medpack, and go upstairs.
*You will overhear a discussion between two soldiers. Apparently, you're
believed to have sabotaged the experiment, and the sole reason these
aliens have warped here. The men then get extremely angry as you have
been killing their buddies left and right.*
Take out the two guards after their melodramatic speech. Continue into the
wide open area, and look into the upper left for a small ghille area. Nade it
as there is a snipe mounted up there. Grab the medpack on the box if you need
it, and continue ahead through the blast door. Go through both doors by
hitting the keypads next to them. You will then see a giant silo opening in
the ground. Around the corner to your right will be 3 soldiers. Take them out
with grenades. Move ahead into the Console Control via the lower blast door.
Go up the stairs and avoid the 3 horizontal red lasers (otherwise you will be
blown to pieces by explosives). To avoid them, crawl under the first two
lasers, stand up on the stair railing, then leap over the third one. Go
through the next door, and you will be able to overhear another discussion
between commanding soldiers. Kill them both, then enter the second room. Hit
the red button on the wall to launch the rocket.
*In a massive event, blast doors will cover the windows, and the silo hole
will open up. A massive rocket will be launched, which is the satellite
test rocket the government never sent up. This is exactly what the Lambda
Labs needed done. Now all you have to do is reach them.*
Now, head back to the open area where you took out the sniper. If you look to
your left, a large door will now be open. Proceed through, and go down the
ladder to your left. Pick up any remaining ammo, health, or powerups from the
wooden boxes. Ride the red "speed demon" train to make it to the next location.
The next area loads with Gordon riding the speed demon train with ease.
Unfortunately, you will notice that you have lost control of the cart. It will
then speed ahead, derail, go past 3 soldiers, and plummet into a giant water
tank below. Quickly swim to the surface for air. Now, swim to the bottom and
go into the hall next to the cart. Go into the left room, and swim through the
bottom hall. Some dirt will collapse through a ceiling. Catch a breath of air,
and swim back out to where your cart was. You might have to wait a bit, but
the outer frame holding the four barrels will fall apart, and allow them to
float to the surface. Swim up above, and use the barrels to boost across onto
the red hall to the right. Kill the 2 aliens, and continue up the stairs. You
are now on the other side of the water tank. Drop into the water below, and
swim down the closest hall. Catch a breath in the new room, and smash the vent
cover on the ground. Swim through it, and take the right route up into the new
room. You will be able to find some MP5 ammo and various munitions. Swim back
to the other side, and continue up ahead in the hall.
You will now be back on dry land. If you look up ahead, a scientist will be
eaten by a gigantic fish creature. Avoid the water and rope eaters. You'll
also notice that a crossbow is stationed in the middle container. Continue
ahead and climb the ladder to the upper room.
*The scientist will inform you that he's too afraid to move out because of
the large fish creature in the water. It was supposedly brought in a week
ago from the depths of the ocean, but based on its size and origin, it's
probably another freakish alien. You can try to knock it out with the
tranquilizer crossbow in the sharkcage, but that risk is up to you.*
Seeing as there is not much else to do, move ahead and onto the narrow beam.
Drop into the cage and equip the crossbow. Suddenly, the cage will snap and
lose its grip. You'll now be sinking in the water, when you hit the bottom,
the fish creature will approach you. Shoot as many darts into it until it
dies. It usually takes 4 hits to take one down. Swim out, and catch a breath
of air. Now, swim back down, and look in the left corner for a valve. Rotate
it all the way to open the door next to it, then briefly swim through. Take
the ammo along the way, and go upstairs through the next door. You will now be
in a room with lots of rope eaters. Soem ray shooters will spawn to attempt to
interfere. Go down via the lower hall, and the next room will have 2 giant
fish in the water. One of the beginning railings fall apart, so be careful.
Try not to fall into the water, and make your way to the other side. Leap
through the hole in the fence on the right, as you can't make it past the
sparking wire.
Swim down the water and up around the corner. Go up the stairs. Climb the
ladder to reach the Generator Control room. Some poison spitters will try to
alter your path. Go down and up through the right hall. Move up to the control
console, and hit the button to cause for the pumps to start moving. Now, time
your jumps across via the moving pumps to reach the other side. Watch for the
lone headcrab that will try to ruin your jump. Go right into the yellow halls.
You can recharge your health along the way. In the next room with the computer
equipment, there are about 6 aliens total, composed of ray shooters and
headcrabs. Finish them off.
*A scientist in a safety chamber will open the door. He will inform you that
Black Mesa security has been tracking you ever since the incident began.
There are all sorts of tracking devices in your Hazard Suit, and the
government has been able to track you down as well. The area up ahead is
very cold, and can knock you out fairly quick unless you know what you're
doing. Stick to the older industrial areas if you want to play it safe.*
Hit the console button to open the door. Quickly sprint ahead with a MP5, and
shoot any aliens that try to stop you. Make a left in the next room, and look
for the ladder shaft in the corner of the room. Climb down it. Up ahead are
some barrels and boxes. Down the narrow hall will be a total of 4 spawning ray
shooters. The 2 other ones will spawn ahead and behind you, so be careful. At
the end of the hall, take the elevator up.
*A security guard has an important message for you. However, before he can
spurt it out, he'll be sniped in the back by a mysterious entity.*
Go up ahead into the large room, and you will be greeted by black-cladded
assassins. These guys (or girls for that matter) are a true pain as they have
silenced Glocks, and can do various flips. They're also agile enough to dodge
MP5 grenades while in mid-air. Try to engage them, and put them down for the
count. Go down the right hall, and curl around the corner. Go into the room
for lots of ammo, health recharges, and power units. Go back out, and finish
off the remaining 4-5 assassins. Climb the stairwell in the center of the
room, and walk up to the Surface Access lever. Hold down the use button to
pull it all the way. Once the doors are opened up, proceed through the 2 doors
into the room ahead.
*Suddenly, the room will go dark, and you will be clobbered by several army
grunts. As you're being dragged along the way, the two guards debate
whether or not you can be reported for questioning. Since you killed most
of their buddies, and they despise you, they decide to get "rid of" the
body.*
You will now awake in a small caged room. After a short amount of time, the
walls will start to press in on you! Quickly leap on the boxes, and use them
as boosts to reach the above area. Crouch on the side, and wait for the
machine to stop compressing. Look for a crowbar on this tall ledge, and grab
it. Then, jump down to the side of the compressor where there is a vent on the
ground. Smash the vent cover, and drop into the pipe. You will be brought to
the next area.
The pipe you just leaped into will now flush you out into a canyon with some
water below. After landing, go right. A few headcrabs will spawn along the
way. Go next to the tall water tower, and look for a valve. Hold down the use
key to rotate the valve all the way. Once it's rotated all the way, quickly
climb the tower, and drop into the lowering elevator. Once you reach the
bottom crawl in the little shaft to the left. Break the cover and crawl
through. Break the other end of the shaft to reach the interior section.
*A security guard will be shooting some headcrabs in the distance. After he
notices you, he'll run down the hole. If you look ahead, he actually ran
right into a rope eater, and got eaten up. Poor person.*
After the guard is dead, pick up his dropped pistol. Now you're armed to the
teeth - not quite. Go recharge your health, and move ahead. You'll now be in
an Observation Area. Go down the spiral stairs and kill the two headcrabs at
the bottom. Since there's a high amount of radiation in this area, charge up
your suit via the nearby boosters. Now, go back to the room where you first
met the security guard. Climb the ladder on the pool of toxic radiation. Leap
over, and crawl through the vent. In the next room, you have to time your
jumps so you can make it to the red room across from you. Just wait for the
opportune moment, and try to leap on the middle two when they're both moving
at the same rate. In the red room, move along the left pipe, and then leap
across to the right pipe. If you try walking directly across the right pipe,
it will shatter due to the weight, and you will have to do the process all
over again. In the next location, you have to make it across the radiation
pool via the rotating swirls in the vat. As usual, time your movement directly
across when the rotators are lined up.
Crawl in the vent to the upcoming area. Now, jump onto the middle conveyor
belt. It should bring you to a giant pool of water. Swim down and head back
towards the direction you came from. Swim down the channel of underground
bubble water, and avoid the chopper. Move ahead, and crouch swim under the
churner. Catch a breath in the new 3-conveyor belt room. Move around and check
out the room behind you. Kill the alien, and take the Revolver from the
ground. Now, head back, and go right of the conveyor belts to the Maintenance
section. Hit the middle lever to cause that belt to go forward now. Move to
the back room, and hit the button control to stop the stompers. Quickly run
out, and leap onto the middle belt. Make sure you timed pressing the button so
both stompers are high enough so that you may crawl under them. The next room
will have side squishers. Time your sprints past them to not take any damage.
There will be 3 more patterned vertical squishers up ahead.
In the next large room, drop onto the first right conveyor belt you encounter.
Drop onto the next one, and the one after that. You will know you're on the
right track when you past through a section of hot flames. Follow this belt
until you can see 2 conveyor belts to your left (leading into a wall). Jump
down on the first one, and shoot the mine to not take any damage. Shoot the
other mine around the corner. Up ahead will be 3 rollers positioned at various
lengths. Diagonal leap across both belts to get past them. You'll now be in a
large squisher room. Jump to the side to avoid being crunched by the central
chopper. Time your jump down as it retracts. Now that you're in the toxic
area, leap up and climb the ladder. Once you're in the red hall, we've reached
a new section.
Climb up the ladder, and you'll be greeted by a herd of shocker creatures.
Quickly drop a satchel on the foreground, then climb down the ladder, and
detonate that sucker to eliminate most of the threats. Make your way back off,
and finish off the remaining threats. Shoot the electric bulb to open the gate
to continue forth (it probably blew up from the explosion of the satchel).
Recharge your health, then go through the lab doors. There will be a creature
in the central tube. Look on the nearby console, and smash the alarm button.
At the same time, the creature will burst out of its tube. Run down the newly
opened door to escape the clutches of the fiendish beast. In the next room, go
into the corner shack, and hit the button. All of the headcrabs in the center
cage will be incinerated by a blinding ray. Remember this for later on. Move
ahead, and kill the lone soldier around the corner. The MP5 will help you
against the upcoming threats. You'll also meet up with a security guard along
the way.
*He will inform you that the military has the exitway sealed off. The only
way out is to find a scientist who has retinal access, and to get him to
open the door for you. Now if only you could find a scientist in these
cursed labs.*
Have the newly found guard follow you. Kill the 3 guards in the next room, and
make sure you pick up their ammo. Recharge your suit, then enter the upper
door looking for scientists. In the next room, hit the button on the left to
release the crabs. Then, run to the corner shack, and hit the button to
incinerate the beasts. Finish off the remaining threats, then pick up the
crossbow where the crabs were, along with additional ammo. Move ahead. You
will find 2 soldiers around the corner. Go left to open access forward, then
move right. In the new room, watch for the trip mines in the lower right
portion. Grab the power unit near the middle, then go left and up the hall to
the red control room. Shoot the trip mines to trigger an alarm. Several alien
beasts and marines will clash and collide in battle. Let them eliminate each
other. Along the way, you should have found a few trip mines. Go back down
this hall, and plant the mines bunched together. One of the remaining aliens
will try to sneak up behind you, but the mines will make quick work of him.
Once the area is clear, go in the newly opened door thanks to the alert. There
will be a soldier to your left around the corner. Go past the first locked
door to your left. Go down the hall and run past the glass labs. Headcrabs
will lunge out of them in an attempt to ambush you. Go left up the stairs.
There will be more aliens and soldiers duking it out in traditional battle. Go
into the first room to your right, and hit the button to start the laser.
Leave this room, then enter the first hall to your left.
*You will overhear a conversation between a scientist and security guard.
Apparently he found a new prototype weapon (the Gauss Cannon). The
scientist warns him not to overcharge the weapon, but the guard didn't
know, and both of them are killed.*
Enter the room, and pick up the tasty weapon. Also, hit the button to enable
the laser. Go back to the main hall, and proceed to the far end. Go into the
upper left hall, eliminating the soldiers along the way. Inside the room,
clear out the shockwave creatures, and turn on the laser. Go back to the hall,
enter the room across from it, and turn on the last laser. Now, head to the
room about halfway down the main hall. Inside you'll find two lasers coming
down. Look for a gray box in the room, and push it against the wall, where the
two glass windows are. Make sure it's within contact of the wall. Walk over to
the command console, and press the use button to start the powerful laser. A
powerful red beams will be formed thanks to the turning on of the other laser
consoles. Because of the box's positioning, a special metal protective layer
won't retract, and the laser will blast through the soft wall. Jump down into
the room, and go through the chamber door up ahead.
*A scientist in the room will inform you that they all have retinal access
to get past the main door. However, a surgical unit got tossed out of
control, and is spinning harmfully, preventing them from reaching the main
lobby.*
The spinning device is fairly simple to avoid. Just strafe and jump over the
lower one to get past it, then hit the button on the console near the other
side to turn it off. Once it's off, have one of the scientists follow you.
Lead him out to one of the far ends, and run through the double lab doors.
Watch for a spawning marine to your right. After he's dead, lead the scientist
to the main door, and he'll open it up for you. The man has some kind words
for you as well.
*The military has an extreme lockdown on the entire exterior of the base.
You would be crazy to go out there and attempt to reach the Lambda Labs
unless you had a fully trained batallion. You can find the labs on the
opposite side of the base, where most, if not the rest of the science team
is hiding. Get there, and perhaps they can figure out a solution to this
eery mess.*
Go through the spinning door. Outside you'll find one marine to your right.
There's a turret above as well, but you can usually sprint away from it
without taking too much damage. Blow the explosives blocking the tunnel to
move ahead. Destroy the boxes in the tunnel for ammunition and health.
Approach the door, and prepare for the toughest level.
Our next level is mainly going to be based around the surface of the Black
Mesa facility, so prepare to face numerous human soldiers, and
their "creative" weapons of mass destruction. Start off by going through the
door, and you'll have 2 soldiers around the corners of the door. There will
also be a few in the distance behind the wooden boxes. Move forward to the dam
up ahead. You will start to hear an attack helicopter in the background.
There's also a mortar cannon as well. Quickly sprint and dive into the pool of
water on the right side of the dam. There will be a giant alien fish in the
corner that will start to make its way towards you, but not reach you yet.
Swim to the ladder and climb it to reach the top of the guard tower. Go around
and enter it. Hit the button to turn off the turbines. Recharge your health if
necessary, and look out the door. Now, dive back into the water. Be careful
though as the fish creature has probably caught up to you by now. You may have
to use your crossbow to rid of him. Swim to the bottom near the dam, and turn
the valve just far enough so you can swim through the tunnels. Swim through
the tunnels (thanks to the Turbines being turned off). On the other side, keep
swimming down the river.
Climb the ladder at the far end, and crawl through the vents. Go right once
you reach the clearing and climb the next ladder. Go around the corner, and
climb that ladder. Now that you're on the top, approach the wired fence. Go in
the little inlet hole to your left. Meanwhile, that helicopter will be chasing
you. Be weary of its missile attacks, and machine gun spit fires. In the next
clearing will be 4 soldiers, based around the camo tent and behind some rocks.
Rid of them, and go into the small tower. Rotate the valve, then go left near
the sign. Crawl into the small inlet and go down the narrow path. A headcrab
will try to ambush you from the sand below. Stick to the right side of this
opening since the area is mined. Crawl under the small shelter inlet, then
peak your head out to catch the chopper's attention. Move back in, and it
should launch two missiles down where you were. They'll hit and destroy the
mines protecting the sewer grate. Now, run over onto the hill next to the
sewer grate, and leap down the sewer grate shaft. Climb down.
Smash the cover on the vent, and crawl through to the end. At the opening,
pick out an accurate weapon, and take down the turret to your right. There
will also be a soldier below you, and a little to the right. Drop down via the
left stone hedges, and move past the tower pipe along the way. Slide down the
green pipe to a roof, then jump down to ground level. If you proceed
backwards, you'll be able to find a lone power unit. Move ahead, and check the
right inlet for a soldier. Once he's down, proceed inside, and the door will
open to reveal an armory. Equip up, and ensure that you pick up the RPG. You
will then hear a chopper coming down towards the cliff. Pull out the RPG, and
make sure the red dot is on. This is basically a tracking dot, which is
exactly where the rocket will go. Wait for the chopper to come down, and fire
a missile at it. Fire one more rocket, and the chopper should go down.
Now that the annoying machine is dead, climb the ladder to your right, and
proceed up the canyon via a series of walkways and stairs. When you reach the
top, crawl in the pipe. Crawl until you reach a T in the path of piping. Go
right, and crawl into the water. Be silent, and crawl to the forward pipe you
see. Ingore the first one to your right. Jump and crawl through this straight
pipe, and it'll take you to a spot slightly behind a tank up above. Quickly
look to your left and take out the lone guard. Thankfully, because you are
behind the tank, it can't rotate its turret far enough to hit you. While this
happens, run over to the garage and pick up any ammo or health you need. Some
soldiers from the front will come behind the tank. Take them out as you go.
You can destroy the tank turret with about 4 direct hits from an RPG. There is
some rocket ammo nearby in case you run low. After you've finished off the
soldiers and tank, go out front, and look near the small bunker booth. Hit the
button next to the structure to open the gate.
Proceed through and you'll see a bunch of boxes. About halfway down, a large
RPG tank will start firing at you. Dodge the rockets and launch some
explosives yourself. Toss a few grenades when you run low. The RPG tank will
go down after a few hits as well. Once it's destroyed, jump in the hole along
the right wall, and take out the two guards by the camo tent. You may then re-
equip your health, ammo, and hazard suit armor. Go back out the hole, and leap
over the sandbags near the blown-up tank. Go through the gray doors up ahead.
Up ahead, the aliens will start to launch an aerial assault on your compound.
Watch out for the large creature to your left. Move to the right, and watch
out for the trip mines in the narrow quarters. After you pass an area with a
small dip of stairs, look to your upper right. You will see a dark hole with
some camo. Toss a grenade up there to rid of a sniper. Pick up the dying
security guard's shotgun, and continue up ahead. You will see a mines sign.
Now, pull out the shotgun, and start shooting the ground in spread out bursts.
Mines should be detonated thanks to the wide blast radius of the gun. You may
also toss a grenade in clustered areas to take out multiple mines, rather than
shooting multiple times. When you see a wooden cross-section near a fence,
look to your upper right for another sniper hole. Nade that one too.
Jump on the wooden cross-section, then jump over the fence. Shoot the barrels
next to the green generators to have them destroy them. Now electricity will
not be flowing in the metal towers. Scale up the one tower, and leap onto the
vent to your left. Jump over to the hole and drop down.
*A scientist in the small room will warn you to proceed with caution. The
soldiers really locked down the room ahead with LOTS of trip mines.*
Go out the door, and make your way past the first two mines. Take the first
left right before the corner, and jump onto these boxes. Make your way to the
center room with the elevator and two large rockets above. Here comes the
tricky part. Go the upper right corner of the room, where the small stairs
are, and a locked door. Leap onto the stairs railing, jump to the nearby box,
then make your way to the barrel next to the elevator. Jump out and over the
elevator. Go to the upper left corner of the room, and crouch under the laser.
Walk up to the control room, and kill the headcrab. Walk over to the button,
and look to your left for a tall box. Shoot and destroy the box, THEN hit the
button. The elevator will rise. Now, drop down to the main floor, and push a
wooden box under the newly risen elevator. Go back to the control room, and
hit the button. Because the box is under the elevator, it will jam it from
coming down. This helps because the main elevator in the room was
malfunctioning, and the new jammed elevator will allow you to go down on the
central elevator. If you're having trouble finding a box to move, simply plant
a trip mine pointing upward directly under the elevator to jam it as well. You
can find a trip mine inside one of the boxes in the room.
After you jam the elevator, leap onto the central elevator, and hit the button
to go down. Grab some ammo from the nearby boxes. If you move ahead, a
security guard will come running towards you for help. Kill the 3 soldiers
chasing him directly behind him. Pick up the bee bug gun as well. This gun has
unlimited ammo as the bugs regenerate. You can launch them in homing or
straight path patterns. Go through the tunnel, and destroy the turret in the
back of the first truck you encounter. Go up and outside of the tunnel.
Suddenly, an alien dropship will let down a huge army of bee aliens. However,
move back, and an F18 will drop bombs on them. Now, equip the Gauss Cannon you
got from before, and move up. An tank will be revealed from behind the boxes
in a nearby tunnel. Since you're either low or out of rockets, charge up the
Gauss Cannon, and launch a blow directly on the turret. It should blow it
away. Now, continue to the right of the tank.
Once you reach the alley, look to your upper left, and nade the sniper nest to
take out a soldier. Move halfway down the alley and take a right. Kill the two
soldiers in the room, then proceed upstairs. Have the security guard follow
you, and lead him to the nearby door. He will open it for you. Re-equip
yourself in the armory room with explosive weapons, experimental ammo, and a
plethora of items. Now, go back out of this room, and look for a nearby window
on the second floor. Smash through it, stand on the ledge, and make your way
around the corner. Jump to the green transformer, then proceed up the ladders
on the walkways. You'll now be in a congested and mangled room. Below are
three soldiers at various positions. Take them out with the crossbow or
revolver. Jump across the ledgeways until you can reach the small platform on
the other side of the room. Run through and proceed to the large wide-open
field.
*When you reach the new area, you will hear a chopper-like aircraft in the
background. This is definitely not good news.*
Quickly sprint to the right, and the large double doors will explode. Take
care of the bee creatures that march out, then proceed right down the
alleyway. Go to the right corner, jump on the green boxes, and boost your way
up to the second floor. Now, get behind the artillery gun, and aim at the
double doors in the center of the field. Blast away the door with 2-3 shots.
If any enemies approach you, take them out with the artillery gun as well.
Now, go through the main bi-door which has just been breached. In the next
area, jump behind the mounted MG, and start firing away at the spawning ray
shooters. There will be about 20 in total, but thanks to the gun, they will be
quickly-made toast. Go ahead and use the bouncy Xen pad to reach the high
platform. Go right, and you will witness a battle between some aliens and
soldiers. Shoot the vent in the lower right and crawl through. Up ahead, the
wall will fall down to reveal several mini-bugs charging at you. Quickly pelt
them down and pick up the Xen bugs as ammo. These nasty creatures can pack a
punch. Move up ahead, and you'll hear a conversation between some marines
believing that they just heard something.
They will then start to shoot through the vents in a rapid pattern. Quickly
retreat back from the shots, and watch out for some of the metal casing to
fall off. Take out the two marines below, then drop down into the tank garage.
Recharge your status, then go through the door. Watch out for the grenades,
and quickly retreat back. Explosives will block the doorway. There will also
be a hole in the nearby wall. Go up to the left hanging switch, and hit it to
lower the lift. Hit it again, jump on it, and it should rise to an elevated
position. Leap through the hole and take out the pesky duo of soldiers. Now,
man the artillery gun and blast away the door. Now, about 5 bee creatures will
start to march towards the breached door; keep blasting them away with the
artillery gun. Once the doorway is clear, run through. In the next room, a
tank will burst through the wall, and soldiers will begin to engage the
aliens. While this is going on, move ahead across the railing, and leap over
the gap. Go through the door, then move right. A marine will come flying
through the wall. Kill the bee creature, then go ahead to the open area. There
will be yet another pursuing battle. Drop down to ground level, then use the
alien pad to the left to boost to the roof. Break the vent cover, and drop
into the water. Move ahead in the pipe, and suddenly a soldier will toss a
satchel charge in. QUICKLY sprint back and dive back into the far wall of the
water room. Crouch and wait for the fire to dissipate.
Crawl back through and take out the lone marine. In this room will be several
headcrabs to worry about. Climb across the pipe near the middle portion of the
room, and rotate the valve. A ladder hatch should open up. Climb up the
ladder. Crawl through the narrow crevice, and at the other end, kill the
soldier to your right. Go right, and kill the other marine. Recharge your
health, and make your way upstairs.
*A lone security guard will tell you to freeze, but soon realize that you're
Gordon Freeman.*
Get the guard to follow you all the way downstairs, and lead him to a locked
computer door. He should enable the terminal to unlock the door. Continue to
lure the guard with you down to the checkpoint stop gate. Lure him to the
ticket booth, and he will open that door too. Proceed through. Move ahead into
the parking garage. If you look to your left, you will see an innocent marine
get crushed to death by a sliding vehicle. The vehicle was actually tossed by
a gigantic alien creature. Shoot the creature to get its attention, and lure
it after you. Make sure it follows you, and continue right weaving back and
forth. When you reach the solid wall, use the alien jump pad, and leap up to
the right tower. On top, you should see a mounted grid map, along with a
radio, and dead marine body. Here comes the tricky part. You will receive a
message saying that the government is going to lay down airstrikes on the
Black Mesa compound, in order to cut down on their losses. He tells Cooper
(although he's dead) to mark targets for airstrikes, or get the heck out of
there before all chaos breaks loose. In order to get past this part, you must
destroy the following targets. The process is simple. You can adjust the
horizontal and vertical targeting beams by holding down the use key on the
specific adjustment keys. Once both are aligned and overlap each other, the
overlapping area is where the airstrike will hit. Remember that the alien
should have burst through the gate if you lead him to the destination
correctly:
[1] - Kill the ALIEN beast [2] - Destroy a solid wall
- After completing all 4 tasks, run down, and use the destroyed tower for a
boost to reach across the gapping moat. You may also leap through the hole in
the concrete wall because you destroyed that too. The exit door should be
burst open as well thanks to your well-planned targeting. Move on up ahead.
The entire compound will start to be flooded with numerous airstrikes. Go into
the door up ahead to reach the next area.
_____________________________
/Forget about Freeman! (4.12)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This next area will mainly take part in an underground facility leading to the
Lambda labs. Along the way, you will be dealing with threats of foreign
aliens, and airstrikes from above. Start off by going through the tunnel, and
the ceiling panels will start to crumble. Avoid them (they will usually darken
before falling below), jump to the road to your right, and wait till the
rumbling starts. Boost yourself on top of the rocks, and crawl through to the
next area.
*You will overhear a radio conversation saying that soldiers are cutting
their losses, and that they should forget about Freeman. There are bigger
problems to deal with.*
Kill the nearby turret, then hit the lever on the wall. Get the nearby
security guard to follow you, and take out the 2 bee creatures up ahead. Go to
the stop sign gate, and a few aliens will spawn behind you. This next part can
be a tad tricky. You can shoot the webbings to clear out a path through the
tunnels. However, avoid shooting the nests, or coming in contact with their
lasers. If destroyed, the nests will release several minute alien bugs that
swarm at you. They're fairly hard to kill because of their tiny size. Go left,
and then go left up the stairs. The Glock tends to work well on the mini-bugs.
Use the health recharger on the wall, then go back down. If you need some
rocket launcher ammo, continue past the webbing to your left, and you'll find
some in a small gated room along the left wall. Otherwise, go back, and go
right from the main "T" in the tunnel. Around the corner will be 2 ray
shooters. Wait till they approach the explosives box, and shoot the box for an
easy kill. Go up, and look across the railing. There's a nest. Destroy it,
along with the creatures, then rotate the valve next to it in order to open
the hatch.
Climb down the ladder. Kill the headcrab below, then make sure to avoid the
red laser (unless you want to activate some tasty turrets). Watch for a
headcrab to your right around the corner. Leap across the small stream, and
push the blue box into the second stream. It will float, and drift downstream
against a small black metal grating. Now, leap on top of the box, and then use
that to boost over the grating to the other side. Swim ahead, and proceed
right. Move straight, then make a right at the narrow "T". Crouch crawl
through the rotating cog, and swim under the hot steaming flames. Swim past
the right cog, jump up, and eliminate the lone guard. Grab some of the ammo,
then climb the ladder, and rid of the two other guards in the open area. To
your left behind the blocked view of the protruding rocks is a tank. You can
actually sprint behind it, and not even waste any ammo attempting to destroy
it. Be careful though as there is a rotating MG near the front of the tank. Go
up to the elevator, and hit the button to bring it up. Go down, and on the
next level, leap over the radiation seeps along the floor.
There's a power unit to your left. Move right and kill the 2 soldiers around
the corner. Go right, and there will be a medpack in the box, along with a
power unit farther right. Go left up the stairs, and you will witness another
battle between soldiers and aliens below. Jump onto the tank, and this neat
vehicle has two functions. The green control panel will launch a tank shell
(which is necessary to blow away the door to the following area, along with
killing tough creatures). Also, the side MG can be controlled to take down
individual targets. Take out the remaining enemies with the MG, and ensure
that you blow down the door. Go through where the new door was. At this cross-
section, there will be aliens to your left and right. To your left, take out
the plasma turret with your Gauss Cannon, and rid of the bee creatures on both
sides. Go left, and hit the control pad to open up the doorway to the Lambda
Core.
Start off by going right to the nearby control console. Hit the button to
start the elevator decline, and leap onto the large platform with the green
truck. After it lowers to the bottom, kill the 5 headcrabs and poison spitter
at the bottom. Go to the left ladder, and climb it to find some rechargers
along with ammo. Go through the upper door, and a dead scientist should be up
ahead. Go through the door, and there will be roughly around 4 assassins to
deal with in this room. I used MP5 grenades and the gauss cannon to take them
out. Go right, and smash all of the wooden boxes to reveal stairs that lead to
the second level. Go upstairs, and cross the catwalk. Take the indented halls,
and proceed left. You can recharge your health and armor by going down the set
of stairs. Go back up, and take the halls all the way to the rightmost part.
Hit the button at the end, and go down the next elevator. Walk into the tunnel
with the barrels, and proceed ahead. A bee creature will suddenly clamp the
door open. Take him out, and use the barrels to cause for a slightly potent
blast on your opponents. There are 4 creatures in total. Go into the room, and
onto the right ladder. In the next area, go right into the Test Fire Chamber.
*The scientist will inform you that he developed an advanced weapon called
the Gluon Gun. Unfortunately, he has never had the nerve to test it on
living specimens. However, seeing your current condition, he hands it over
to you to assist you on your journey. The Gluon Gun is basically a powerful
rail-like gun that sends out a continuous laser (when held down), which
warps and disrupts the genetical code of the victim. They're basically
warped into nothing. It eats up the same ammo as the Gauss Cannon, but is
the most powerful weapon in the game.*
You can test it on the specimens in each of the two targeting ranges. Make
sure to grab the ammo on the shelves, then head out. Go left, and enter the
Coolant System. Proceed down the elevator, and you will now be at the Core.
There will be a ton of enemies to deal with. Go left, and make another left.
Go right at the Maintenance Station Access door, and have the security guard
around the corner follow you. Proceed down stairs, and enter the door.
*The scientist will greet you, however, he has some bad news. The Core
reactor must be engaged so that the scientists up in the teleportation
chambers will have power. You must first drain the reactor by turning
on the two pumps, then access it via a small ventilation shaft. That
should help both the scientists, and give you access to the upper
areas of the labs.*
Recharge your status via the nearby chargers, and make sure you pick up the
spare ammo. Head back up stairs, and go to the main room. Go down the side
walkways, and head along the left side until you reach an area called Coolant
System 1. Along the way, you will encounter bee creatures, ray shooters, and
headcrabs. Climb the ladder, and go through the next door. Climb down to the
lab, battle the nearby aliens, and hit the switch to turn on Pump 01. Go back
to the main room, but this time, head along the right side to Coolant System
2. Along the way, one of the walls will fall and shatter. Avoid it, then crawl
through. Inside the door, you will find a few bee creatures and ropers. Climb
the ladder and watch for a broken gap in the railing. Go through the door to
Pump 02, and rotate the valve. Crawl through the small hole, kill the crabs,
and hit the switch. Run back to the main room, then head to the "T" where you
first went to meet the scientist. This time, go left into the Auxiliary Access
Station.
Jump into the water pit, and swim in the small narrow shaft. At the other end,
catch a breath, then swim through. Dive back down, and rotate both valves
along the wall to flood the reactor. Once it reaches the peak, climb up to the
dry ground. Climb the ladders, but be careful as lasers will be spurting out
in various directions from the reactor core. You will have to avoid these
(some rotate in spiral patterns). When you reach the top, go through the door.
Around the corner you will find a supply room. Go up the next elevator, then
climb the ladder, and leap off through the jammed doorway. Go right into the
supply room, then head out left. You can recharge your health along the way.
If you go into the left room, you will find the G-man standing in one of the
control consoles. Head back out, and proceed down the hall. Take out the
aliens that spawn along the way. The valve in the middle actually turns on
some steam flames about a quarter of the way down the hall. Lure the bee
creatures and various aliens around the corner to follow you. Then, turn the
valve to turn on these flames so that you can save some ammo.
Turn off the valve when you're finished, and head around the corner. Now, look
for the door on the right, and head on through. In this room, you will have a
nice view of the portal rotating in the center. There will also be a dark
green portal, and a lighter green portal next to you. Step on the lighter
green portal to get warped to the center. You should land on the first level
of the rotating platforms. If you messed up, just time your warp again. Here
comes the tricky part. As you rotate around the core, each side of the reactor
has a Portal # on it. Each portal # will warp you to individual places on the
level. Some of the warps are benefitting to the player, while others are
depreciating. This is what each portal does:
))- #1 --> Warps to a room filled with headcrabs
))- #2 --> Takes you up one level in the reactor [REQUIRED]
))- #3 --> Takes you to a supply room
))- #4 --> Takes you up one level [REQUIRED]
))- #5 --> Drops you into a room with 3 scientists
))- #6 --> Warps into a massive radioactive damage fall
))- #7 --> Takes you to the next area [REQUIRED]
))- #8 --> Loads you to an area with extra ammo
))- #9 --> Kills you in a warping malfunction
Basically, the correct order is:
#2, #4, then #7
However, in order to reach the higher levels, jump into these portals when
there is a platform ABOVE you. Sometimes if you miss a platform rotating above
you, and you leap in too soon or too late, then you will miss the platform,
and plummet to the bottom. After you've done this, you will be warped to the
actual secret warp.
Up ahead will be about two rings of rotating platforms, with a center walkway
rising up and down. Below is radioactive material that will kill you if you
touch it. The outer ring rotates into solid walls which will push you into the
radiation, so be quick on the outer ring. Make your way to the middle rising
platform, then leap to the two outer switches in this room. Hit them both to
open the portal doors to the center warp. Leap into the center warp, and you
will be tossed inside a room. DO NOT go into the portal in this room. Instead,
go out the two doors to your right. Go left, and climb the ladder. Leap out to
make your way to level A of the facility. Go up ahead, and a scientist will
open the secure door for you. You've reached the most secure section of the
Lambda Core. The remaining scientists have barricaded themselves up in this
place as it is the only way to reach the alien planet of Xen.
*The scientist will brief you, telling you that there is a massive being
on Xen who is acting as the link between Earth and the alien planet.
You must kill this creature to stop the portal. His fellow colleague
will be at the main controls for the portal that will take you to the
planet. He will also show you some new technology you haven't seen
before. Because of Xen's lighter gravitational field, leaping will be
much less restricted. A new long-jump training suit allows you to have
a quicker long jump that extends your jumping heights. Practice with
it by pressing the crouch + jump buttons at the same time. Finally,
the scientist will tell you to equip up, then proceed to the warp room
where you will be warped to the planet by yourself.*
Make sure you grab the orange suit, along with the ammo in the armory
stations. Go ahead through the halls until you reach a large room with a giant
cylinder near the center.
*The scientist will be on a tall platform up above. He says that once he
starts the portal process, he must continue uninteruppted, and you cannot
jump into the portal until he says so.*
You'll have about 30 seconds before he starts charging up the portal. Go
across the room, and climb the ladder to the elevated section. Once the portal
starts to charge up, Xen flying aliens will warp through. I found it best to
use the Gauss Cannon, and shoot them down with charged shots. If the scientist
is killed, or he messes up, you will die, so make sure you save before doing
this part of the level. Basically, keep shooting down the aliens until he
tells you to get into position. Wait for his trigger sentence telling you to
jump through, and don't wait too long, otherwise the portal rift will close.
When you leap through, prepare for one long journey to an alien universe.
Welcome to the alien world of whirling sounds, freakish objects, and warped
dimensions. Gordon will end up landing on a platform. Start long jumping your
way down each platform, and then jump on the roof of the floating circular
object. Drop down one level, and watch out for the blue hanging turrets. These
defenses cannot be destroyed, although you can quickly long jump through them.
The nearby water pool on the ground will recharge your health naturally. Look
for a slight indentation along the inner wall with some webbing. Smash away
the webbing to reveal an inner hull to the entire platform. Crawl through, and
you'll see some floating bugs trapped in a cage. Smash the cage, then go over
to the 3 pedestals. Press the use key on each of them to open them up. After
all 3 pedestals receive their bugs, a portal will be opened up in the center.
Jump into the portal to proceed to the next area.
______________________
/Gonarch's Lair (4.15)/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
After first greeting the alien planet with your presence, you're suddenly on a
new area of the planet. If you look to your left, you'll see a gigantic spider
with a sack underneath begin to approach you. Quickly move to your right, and
run behind the rock with sacs near it. You'll find some ammo and health to
assist you. Fire rockets, throw grenades, and launch Gauss shots at the beast
until it starts to retreat into a nearby tunnel. Follow it. The spider mainly
sends out headcrabs, has a melee attack, and spits out transparent mini-
spiders that stab away at you painstakingly. Again, you'll be in another wide-
open field. If you look to the diagonal left, you'll see a transparent webbing
on the floor. Fall through it, and land on the ledge (don't miss the ledge,
otherwise you will plummet to your death). If you go to where you can see the
dead body in the distance, there will be plenty of ammo, health, power units,
and even a recharge pool nearby. Go back up, and keep pounding on Gonarch
until he retreats back into a side tunnel. Drop down into the area, and
continue ahead. Drop down again through the webbing, and keep pounding the
spider from below. Meantime, you'll have to deal with lots of spurting invisi-
spiders. After enough pounding from your weaponry, he should fall through and
explode. Launch a grenade at the rest of the mini-spiders that fall from his
sac. His body should fall to reveal a new area to drop down below to. Drop
down about half way in the little ledge, recharge your health, then drop down
to the portal.
In the next area, you'll land on a platform. It will crush to have you fall
below onto the planet surface. There will be several flying craft above that
launch down lasers, along with ray shooters, and the large holes in the ground
will shoot you up for a massive boost. Go around the back portion of the
island, and enter the cave. Up ahead will be some ray shooters. Destroy the
webbing to proceed ahead, and recharge via the health pool. Drop into the
nearby hole, and you will know you're in the right place when you see yellow
crystals bordering the cave. Proceed ahead, and avoid stepping on a lone rock
in the middle as it's a poison trap. Move ahead, but watch for ropers. Go
around the right corner for health, and go up around the back. Destroy the
webbing covering the small crack, crawl through, and move forward. Break more
webbing, then wait for the tall pillar to lower. Stand on top, and wait for it
to rise. Long jump to one of the nearby top platforms. Carefully, long jump
your way down progressively until you get to a lower one. Wait for a blue
flyer to streak by, and leap on top of the creature. Allow it to carry you to
the portal on the island nearby. If you try leaping to the portal manually,
you will be killed. Jump into the portal to go to the next section.
In this new area, a lone clamper will be to your right, along with
several "unaware" aliens behind you. Slowly and quietly sneak above and around
towards the clamper. Distract it with a grenade in the other direction, crawl
over to the opening, and leap up into it. Proceed ahead in the cave. You can
use the health pool to regenerate your health. Watch for the ropers up ahead,
then take a left in the split at the caves. Try navigating your way over the
rocks.
*A large creature will bash through the rocks and charge at you.*
Quickly retreat back, and go out to the right split in the cave this time. Run
past all of the aliens, and keep running to the corner. Jump onto the small
white twig, then leap over to the recharge pond. Now, efficiently take out all
of the lone aliens, then use rockets, grenades, and satchels on the huge
cyclops. It will go down after several shots. If you run low, you can find
more ammo in a cave underneath in a dark room. Once all is clear, go back to
the main cave, and take the left path. Now that it's cleared, crawl in the
right opening, and pick up the items. Go back out, and go left this time. Now
you'll be forced to deal with two clampers. Sneak past them by tossing a
distraction grenade. Once you're about halfway around back, take the lower
path to pick up more grenades and ammo. Again, distract the two on the right,
and watch out for the one on the left. Once you make it across the bridge
walkway, and go through the narrow canyon, take out the 2 bee creatures near
the portal. Jump inside the portal to be warped yet again.
Your new position puts you in an underground lair. In the room up ahead, there
will be lots of ray shooters and flying behemoths. You can use your Glock and
Revolver to pick them off. Go up on the two elevators. If you need health, you
can use a recharge portal on the second floor in the right corner. Once you
reach the top, go onto the first conveyor belt, cross over at the middle, then
take the second belt into a drop up ahead. When you drop down in the new area,
there will be plenty of ray shooters and flying behemoths. Again, drop down to
ground level, and move ahead for ammo and health. Go back out, use the
elevator to reach the first floor. Do the same strategy from before. Go up the
right conveyor belt, and go up around the pathway into the narrow doorway. The
next section will be mainly composed of tight corridors with lots of alien
barrels, ray shooters, and bee creatures. You can make quick work of them by
tossing grenades, satchels, and laying down trip mines. You'll know you've
reach the area when there are two small red holes against the wall. Crawl into
these to move ahead. Keep moving ahead until to red holes are now on the floor.
Drop down, and quickly sprint left avoiding all enemy fire. Get on the first
elevator, then take the second elevator up, go across, and take the final
elevator up top to the portal. Along the way, there are several rechargers,
along with a huge ammo room that spirals up. When you jump in the portal, you
will be brought to a dark place. Jump from platform to platform until you
reach the mainland. Save your game before entering the dark red portal.
Our perilous hero will now be standing on a platform in front of a...giant
squid-like monster. This IS the master alien of the Xen race, and your
ultimate foe linking the portal between Earth and this freakish world.
Nihilanth can truly only be defeated in a set pattern, which can be very
difficult. To start off, Nihilanth has two different attacks. His first
involves the charging up of several white energy balls which are launched in a
semi-arc pattern. However, they're a tad more concentrated, and can be aimed
vertically too. These will do damage, and you'll usually be hit in succession
which can result in instant death. His second attack is one that it scripted,
which you must be hit by at least 3 times. He'll charge up his hands and
launch a large green energy ball at you. Early on, it can be avoided by
shooting it, however, eventually you must be hit by it. This will launch you
into a "trick" room which you have to escape to get back to the real world.
There are 3 different trick rooms to get by, and most of them are easy. I'm
not going to go through each of them since they're all self explanatory.
However, you will encounter minor enemies, and receive powerups in each of
these rooms. Here's how you defeat Nihilanth:
== 1) DESTROY THE THREE YELLOW CRYSTALS
- Look above, and you should see three giant crystals. I found it best
to destroy them ASAP using the Gauss Cannon. Charge up a shot that
takes at least 7 power units, and shoot it at each crystal. After
all 3 are destroyed, he will be weakened.
== 2) GET HIT BY THE GREEN ENERGY BALL, THREE TIMES
- Again, complete the puzzle rooms which are brief, and usually require
jumping. Each time you reach the exit, you will be brought out to the
lair.
== 3) BOUNCE UP TO THE TOP BALCONY
- Look on the ground for a jumping pad. It should be slightly to the
left of the highest rock balcony. Press the jump key when running over
the pad to get a heightened boost.
== 4) JUMP INTO HIS BRAIN AND DESTROY IT
- Now that you've completed the above three requirements, and are on the
top pad, use the second pad to boost up and over Nihilanth. Try to
land on his head, and wait for it to open up. Once inside, use the
Gluon Gun, along with shotgun blasts, the crowbar, and whatever else
fits your liking. You'll know he's dying when the screen starts to
spiral and flash with vibrant colors.
*After killing the master being of the Xen race, you'll suddenly end up in
an elevator with the man in the blue suit himself! In case you did not
know, his name is the G-Man, and he's also referred to as the
"Administrator" at the Black Mesa facility. He let's you know that all of
your weapons were stripped for meeting purposes. He congratulates you for
allowing him to now control the Xen race. Because of your potential, and
single-handed ability to bring down an opposing race, he has recommended
your services to his employers for future jobs. Seeing as you're a
decisive man, the choice should be quite clear. If you want to work for
the man and his associates, simply step through the portal when it opens
up. Otherwise, if you choose not to accept his offer, you will be warped
into a battle you cannot possibly survive. Of course, the choice is up
to you.*
---- If you choose not to enter ---- If you choose to enter the portal
the portal when it opens up, when it opens up, a message will
the G-Man will reluctantly pop up saying you have been
let you go, and warp you into activated for employment, and are
a room filled with Xen currently awaiting future job
creatures. Since you practically opportunities.
murdered their entire race, they
have no problem killing you. The
lights dim out, but at least you
have the honor of not serving
that despicable man.
*This is pretty much the end of the game. Credits will scroll by, and then
you will be left with a blank black screen. The real questions lie behind
the true identity of the G-MAN, and what exactly happened at the end. Some
players believe the G-MAN is actually working for an alien race that tries
to control other races by defeating them. This was the case with the Xen.
Unfortunately, they were too overwhelmingly strong for his race to handle
alone. However, by pitting a war between the humans and Xen, along with
manipulating Gordon Freeman, you allowed them to control the Xen (and the
humans in a literal sense as well). The G-MAN is most likely a human, but
his sinister lisp voice and attitude of saying that he works for a higher
being tends to give it away. Hopefully, Half-Life 2 will solve some of
these problems.*
=============================
- 5) Multiplayer -
=============================
Thankfully, one of the key replay values of Half-Life is a free multiplayer
feature. Thanks to WON.net, you are able to play the game for free against
other players as long as you have an internet connection, and no conflicting
problems. There has also been a new program called STEAM which allows you to
play online by universally combining all mods and internet play into one. WON
will eventually be shutting down during the Summer of 2004, so everyone will
have to convert to STEAM eventually. Anyhow, this section will describe some
of the necessary basics on how to enhance your multiplayer experience.
________________
/Deathmatch Mode/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This is the primary method of facing opponents during multiplayer games.
Players spawn into a random location on the level where there's a free-for-all
fight between pitting players. Along the way, weapons will spawn in pre-set
locations, which means players will battle over getting more supreme weaponry.
Some levels have special devices that can be used to make the gameplay
experience more fun. Deathmatch is the main gameplay mode that most servers
run, however, it can get stale after awhile.
____
>>=/TIPS\=<<
- Get use to using the Gauss Cannon as it is one of the most effective weapons
during a DM game. You can literally take out numerous opponents in a row by
shooting through walls, charging, and simply re-aiming. Not even the Gluon Gun
can compare to its greatness.
- If you want to change your player model, enter Half-Life, and click on the
Multi-player tab. Go to the Customize button, and you may change your model to
one of about ten different pictures. The two bars at the bottom adjust some of
the color ratings on the uniforms to make them look different. To get custom
skins, check out the Common Questions section.
- MP5 Grenades, the Crossbow, and Gauss Cannon are highly sought after
weapons. Expect to see lots of enemy resistance around these weapon spawning
locations. Someone with a crossbow is a dangerous foe as they can nearly one-
shot kill you with a zoomed-in bolt.
- Camping is a great tactic, especially at weapon chokehold points. However,
be careful on your back flanks as someone is always bound to be near.
- The Gauss Cannon can be used as a jumping boost. Simply charge up a shot,
then angle it at the ground and fire. If you fire it diagonally at the ground,
you will be recoiled back diagonally in the air.
_________________
/HL Teamplay Mode/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
One of the more contrary and enjoyable methods of playing is the HL Teamplay
mode. This basically is a team-deathmatch game where players are separated in
teams based on their selection, and battle it out against each other.
Sometimes Friendly Fire is turned on, which means you can damage your own
teammates. The battles are typically more conservative, and strategically
focused.
____
>>=/TIPS\=<<
- In TDM games, try to control one of the larger rooms on the map, and keep a
threshold on it. Holding one area in the level will give you a higher chance
of cutting off the other teams from their other teammates.
- You can have as many teams as you desire based upon the server settings.
Some servers separate teams based on the player's selected model skin. Others
have pre-set teams that may be selected manually.
- Some truly fun maps for TDM include subtransit and crossfire. Crossfire
takes place at a military base with a concentrated center, and numerous
amounts of action. On the far side of the base are two useable cannons, along
with a special timed nuke that can be detonated. The entire safe zone of the
base is locked down, which means it becomes a frantic rush to see who can get
into the bomb shelter before the nuke goes off. Subtransit actually has a
moving vehicle on it better known as a train cart. Players can be crushed by
the moving cart, and it's speed/direction can be adjusted by using the use key
on the vehicle. This map becomes intensely fun when you're blasting away
people and crushing players on the tracks.
_________________
/Expansions & Mods\
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
One of the premiere features of any game is the amount of software-developed
modifications or expansions the game adds to it. A modification is a special
program that alters the pre-set items in the original game, and usually adds
an entirely new gameplay experience with a different system, variables, and
scripts. For example, the all so popular Counter-Strike was originally
developed as a modification to Half-Life. They basically stripped HL of its
skins, weapons, and levels. Then, they remodeled everything according to how
they wanted it to be. Someone made the weapon and player models, and they re-
designed how the gameplay worked thanks to the Half-Life console. That's
basically what a modification is, except it changes everything for you.
- Mods can easily be loaded or unloaded via the Mod Viewer at the main screen
of HL. If you download and install one off the internet, you can switch
between them there. The following list will be of most of the "popular" mods
available that are out there.
***If you have any mods you would like added to this list, send me a
website link, and I'll check it out. If I give it a thumbs up, I'll add
it to this list, and possibly to my own website.***
=======================================================
--[ Action HL ]-->>Website: http://ahl.telefragged.com/
=======================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Action HL is basically an online multiplayer game where
players take the roles of action heroes using various
action movie techniques. You'll use a plethora of strange
and loud weapons, plus stunt moves, special abilities, and
cool player models. The mod use to be extremely popular
until the arrival of the Specialists.
RATING: ***
========================================================================
--[ Azure Sheep ]-->>Website: http://halflife.multiplayer.it/azuresheep/
========================================================================
MODE: Single Player
DESCRIPTION: This is a special mod developed by a small team that puts you
in the role of a Black Mesa security guard caught in the middle
of the Xen invasion. Your true goal is to escape alive rather
than giving a free care for stopping the aliens. Lasts fairly
long and is a decent one-time playthrough.
RATING: ***
=====================================================
--[ Battlegrounds ]-->>Website: http://www.bgmod.com/
=====================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: This is one of the more unique mods available for all of HL.
The setting takes place during the American Revolution back in
the 1770s. Players can side on either the British or American
sides and duke it out via selected classes. Muskets are fairly
inaccurate weapons, which turns this game into a hybrid mix of
melee and ranged combat. You'll also get that Patriot feeling
as you charge together with your men.
RATING: ****
=====================================================================
--[ Blue Shift ]-->>Website: http://www.planethalflife.com/blueshift/
=====================================================================
MODE: Single/Multi Player
DESCRIPTION: Blue Shift is an officially licensed product from Valve Studios
themselves. This expansion pack costs money, and places you in
the role of a Black Mesa security guard. It introduces only a
few new features, and is regarded as the worst expansion pack
out of all of the HL bunch.
RATING: **
===============================================================
--[ Counter-Strike ]-->>Website: http://www.counter-strike.net/
===============================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Counter-Strike is the mod that started the online HL gaming
craze. Not only is it the most popular online action game of
all-time, but it is still one of the most played to this day.
Its simplistic design of counter-terrorists versus terrorists
pits strategy versus action game etiquette. You can buy various
weapons with money, and play with the largest amount of
competition out there.
RATING: *****
===========================================================
--[ Day of Defeat ]-->>Website: http://www.dayofdefeat.com/
===========================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: This WWII mod takes you through as either the Axis forces or
Allied Forces. You can take the role of several different
classes on each team, and it has an extremely high realism
rating. Probably the second most popular mod for HL, and well
worthy of the title.
RATING: *****
=======================================================
--[ Desert Crisis ]-->>Website: n/a
=======================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: This game takes place in a wastelandish future with two
organizations battling out for economic control. It use to be
a truly cool mod with various abilities, weapons, and close
range techniques. However, as time has passed, the game has
lost any official contact from the dev team, and has declined
greatly in popularity. You can still find a download lying
around, and it's great to play with a group of friends.
RATING: **
=======================================================
--[ Earth's Special Forces ]-->>Website: n/a
=======================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Another unique mod that pits you in the role of super heroes
that each have special abilities. You'll also be able to play
as DBZ characters and use damaging fireballs, energy attacks,
and kung fu. This mod is popular to the anime fans out there.
RATING: ***
=========================================================
--[ Existence ]-->>Website: http://www.existence-mod.com/
=========================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: This is one of the first mods to actually mimic after the
Matrix movie. You'll be able to join either the Rebels or
Agents teams and battle it out on a Zynon-like map with
the office building, Zynon mainframes, and large urban
landscape. Unfortunately, the mod has imbalances and could
use improvement.
RATING: *
======================================================
--[ Firearms ]-->>Website: http://www.firearmsmod.com/
======================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Firearms is a realistic-like mod that pits you on two different
teams (red versus blue), and players battle it out on capture-
the-flag maps. The great thing about it is that the game
features a unique customization feature of over 30 weapons to
choose from. You'll basically turn yourself into a gunmaster
from playing this game alone. Has a popular fanbase.
RATING: ****
=============================================================
--[ Front Line Force ]-->>Website: http://www.frontline2.com/
=============================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Another mod that pits players on two teams. You will battle
it out with a unique class system and various weapons to
equip to each character. Unfortunately, it lacks any new
items to make it different from the other mods. However, it
is a high-quality mod with decent levels.
RATING: ***
============================================================================
--[ Global Warfare ]-->>Website: http://www.planethalflife.com/globalwarfare
============================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Global Warfare is a special team-based mod that pits NATO
versus Arab forces. This was actually developed before the
entire Middle East conflict. It features a unique reinforcement
method where players are dropped in via a helicopter. If your
helo is shot down by a Stinger, then you must wait for another
chopper to respawn. Has some interesting gameplay methods, but
suffers from a lack of popularity.
RATING: **
=====================================================================
--[ Natural Selection ]-->>Website: http://www.natural-selection.org/
=====================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: By far one of the best mods HL has to offer, Natural Selection
combines elements seen in Starcraft with those of a first-
person shooter. The game takes place in the future, where space
colonization is a rampart industry. Suddenly, a new alien life
force is discovered, and it's two teams against each other
(space marines versus aliens). Each team has different styles
of gameplay. A head commander builds structures on the marines
while the soldiers do all of the hands-on building. Aliens are
designed for close-combat and can evolve into different
classes. Each team must fight for resource nodes in order to
perform special actions. Don't miss out on this popular game.
RATING: *****
============================================================================
--[ Opposing Force ]-->>Website: http://www.planethalflife.com/opposingforce
============================================================================
MODE: Single/Multi Player
DESCRIPTION: Opposing Force is yet another official HL expansion pack
released by Valve Studios. The game places you in the role of
one of the government pawn soldiers who is sent out to the
complex to investigate the scenario at Black Mesa. Not before
long, you're caught up in a barrage between Gordon, the Xen
aliens, and the desire to escape this barren place. One of the
best expansion packs out there.
RATING: ****
=======================================================
--[ Ricochet ]-->>Website: n/a
=======================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Ricochet is a special mod that comes with the download of CS.
The game pits you in a futuristic ring where players duke it
out by tossing lethal sharpened discs at each other. With the
use of jumping pads and low gravity, see who can get the most
kills in a free-for-all. This mod is not as great as one would
expect, and does have a low fanbase.
RATING: *
========================================================================
--[ Science and Industry ]-->>Website: http://www.planethalflife.com/si/
========================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Again, this is one of those mods that makes you cringe at the
amount of peculiarity you will encounter. To start off, this
game pits two rival corporations against each other. Their
ultimate goal is to exceed each other's profits. So, each
corporation kidnaps some of the most brilliant scientists to
develop new technologies, and each team must fight out to
hold a greater control of scientists to increase your cash
flow. Teams vote on which technology they want to upgrade
next, which adds an interactive flavor to the mix. This game
has a decent fanbase as well.
RATING: ****
======================================================================
--[ Team Fortress Classic ]-->>Website: http://www.planetfortress.com/
======================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: Team Fortress Classic is one of the mods that comes with
the update patch for HL. This is one of the better games
that allows player to join the red or blue factions. From
there, you can select 1 of 8 different classes, and play
with different weapons or abilities for each class. The
game has a large fanbase, and is easy to learn from.
RATING: ****
================================================================
--[ The Specialists ]-->>Website: http://www.specialistsmod.net/
================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: The Specialists is basically like a souped-up version of Action
HL. Players duke it out in DM-style gameplay, and attempt to
to score the highest amount of frags. However, the game has
over 30 base weapons to choose from, and implements truly COOL
abilities such as slow-motion bullet time, kung fu attacks,
stunt dives, and powerups. One of the best action-style mods
out there.
RATING: *****
=======================================================
--[ They Hunger ]-->>Website: n/a
=======================================================
MODE: Single Player
DESCRIPTION: They Hunger takes place in the early 20s with a car crash
survivor learning that a nearby town is infested with freakish
zombies. The game takes place across 3 episodes, which each
further develop the story as the player attempts to escape from
the infested town. It's a great one-time playthrough, but seems
a tad dull in certain spots.
RATING: **
============================================================
--[ Tour of Duty ]-->>Website: http://www.tourofdutymod.com/
============================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: One of the few Vietnam mods actually available out there, Tour
of Duty is well-designed for one. Players can choose from the
NVA or American forces, and battle it out across jungle maps,
There are a few different classes for each team, and the game
is starting to draw attention.
RATING: ***
=======================================================================
--[ Vampire Slayer ]-->>Website: http://www.planethalflife.com/vampire/
=======================================================================
MODE: Multiplayer
DESCRIPTION: This is another fun mod that allows you to take the role
of either a Vampire or a Vampire Slayer. Slayers used ranged
weapons and guns to bring down the vampires. From there, they
must stake them to kill them, otherwise the vampire will be
revived back to minimal health. Vampires can only use special
claw attacks, but have heightened jumping and special senses.
This mod is fairly popular, but can seem a tad unfair at times
on certain maps.
RATING: ***
============================
- 6) Common Questions -
============================
)) Gameplay ((
----------------------------
<< Where's the cheapest place to find this game? >>
- To be honest with you, the best place to get this game is at any nearby
store. Valve recently bundled up the entire HL series (with Blue Shift, TFC,
and Opposing Force) in a special Platinum Pack. For $20, you can get all of
the HL expansions, along with a CD, and CD-key which SHOULD work on the new
upcoming STEAM. You can download HL for free from Steam, but you will not have
a true "valid" CD KEY, nor any CDs to back up the download should it be lost.
I would not recommend eBay as cd keys have probably been tampered with.
<< How do I add custom skins to my game? >>
- First of all, there are truly three kinds of custom skins. You can customize
player models, weapon models, and sprays. Player models are what other players
see you as when playing a game. Weapon skins are the appearances of the
weapons that show up on the screen near the bottom. To add custom skins,
download the .zip file for the skin you want. Now, let's say you want to
change Gordon into John McClane from Die Hard. Open up the .zip, and extract
SELECT files into the specific directory. For example, highlight the .mdl
(model files), and then extract them into the C:/sierra/half-
life/models/player directory. Same goes with player models. Extract the weapon
sounds into the /sound/weapons/gunname directory, and the actual model into
the model/weapons directory. You can select specific files in the zip file by
holding down CTRL. You may want to back up the files you replace before doing
this, in case you get an error, or it messes up.
<< What's a WON ID or CD KEY? >>
- Before Steam came in to play, WON ID's are basically the way you are
identified on the internet. Each CD KEY has a set WON ID to it which is
suppose to be your unique validation on the WON network. When a WON ID is
banned from the WON network, you will not be able to play on their free
servers. Same goes with STEAM. Your CD KEY can be banned from playing on the
internet if you're caught cheating in specific servers.
<< What's the situation with Half-Life 2? >>
- Sad as it is, Half-Life 2 has been having its ups and downs. Originally, the
game was slated for a December 2003 release. However, for some odd reason, a
beta test version of the game was hacked off of the Valve networks during a
test run. It was then publicly launched on hacker sites who claimed to have a
script of the actual programming language. Because of the pre-release of the
game's engine, the developers decided to redo the entire thing, otherwise,
their hard work would have been done for nothing. As far as I know, HL 2 is
slated for a later release during 2004, and early 2005. It'll probably be Q1
in 2005, by my estimates.
- First of all, there are a few methods of displaying the graphics during HL.
The best way is to use OpenGL, which sort of smoothes all of the rough polygon
edges out for an enjoyable experience. The player "glides" along the level
with pristine ease. Unfortunately, you'll need an OpenGL card. Hardware such
as the Rivia TNT2 or ATI Radeon cards would delightfully accompany HL.
Remember that this game was created back in 1998, so you really don't even
need the most advanced hardware available.
Secondly, you'll want to lower your resolution if you want a quicker
framerate. My preferred resolution is 640 x 480 as it does just enough detail
to accompany the user. Other players will probably prefer those outrageous
1000+ pixel modes. You can also try not using high quality sound, as it will
speed up the gameplay.
======================================================
- 7) Copyright/Distribution/Reproduction Guidelines -
======================================================
This FAQ/Strategy Guide/Walkthrough is my own published work, and copyrighted
by Christopher Zawada. Whatever you do, DO NOT edit this FAQ in any way. DO
NOT steal anything from this FAQ. If you want to use some information in your
own guide, simply ask me. If you want to place this guide on your website,
either link to the GameFAQs game page, or download the file and place it on
your own web server. Basically, you can post this on your website as long as
it's in ORIGINAL form, and not linking directly to GameFAQs. Aside from that,
all proper credit is due when necessary. Also, don't even think about selling
FAQs. Trying to prosper off of other people's work will get you in big time
trouble (coming from an eBay seller myself).
This is a list of the current known sites that host my FAQs:
============================
- 8) Proper Credit -
============================
I'd like to thank the following people for their help in making this FAQ
possible:
)) CJayC (( for constantly updating GameFAQs, and dedicating his entire life
to it. Takes a lot of effort to keep a site going this long.
)) Rootsecure.net (( for providing an ASCII generator that allowed me to
create the Half-Life title.
)) Valve Studios (( for creating one of the greatest first-person-shooters of
all time that has graced my computer for over 6 years. Not only did I grab
enjoyment out of HL, but the mods for this game are amazing and have truly
saved my hundreds of dollars as opposed to buying more computer games.
)) Fellow Gamers (( for providing an entertaining experience that I have
thoroughly enjoyed over the years. Had it not been for fellow gamers like
myself who dedicated their free time to playing online games, maybe we would
not have had as much fun as we did. Thanks a lot for the childhood years of
fun.
"Some people make sacrifices to make other people happy." - Chris Zawada
"Freeeeeeddooommmmmmmmm!" - William Wallace (Braveheart)
