Together Retro: Half-Life

[Krysno]

So I'm working my way through Surface Tension, and I have a problem. The guard from earlier in the level is dead. I have nobody to open security doors for me. I've read suggestions to jump up some green crates to a mounted gun. I cannot jump on said crates. Am I checkmated? I've been doing laps for about 2 hours in the same section, and I'm losing hope. And that damn helicopter endlessly drops more grunts.

You read right about jumping crates to a gun installation; a crouch jump, as suggested earlier, is the way to go...

Finished Xen the other night, and I have to say that I always enjoy the last stretch of the game. I'm going to come back to this game in some not-too-distant future and attempt a 1-life playthrough of the whole thing. I may not be able to do it, but I can't resist the attempt.

[noiseredux]

because I don't have a manual and the strategy guide doesn't bother with basic controls, I *just* figured out how to do the secondary shot on a weapon (hold L trigger down) and just managed to take down a huge helicopter overhead which was really a triumphant feeling watching it go down!

[dsheinem]

because I don't have a manual and the strategy guide doesn't bother with basic controls, I *just* figured out how to do the secondary shot on a weapon (hold L trigger down) and just managed to take down a huge helicopter overhead which was really a triumphant feeling watching it go down!

Congrats! That part is awesome.

I am really pulling for you to get through to the end. There's some very tough but some very cool sections ahead...

[noiseredux]

thanks Dave. I'll admit, I've never been so compelled to finish a FPS. Maybe it's the addition of horror elements, or maybe it's just so creative. It seems every session with it includes some amazing part that I am shocked by. Just a terrific game.

I'm currently at a part where a tank is firing at me hardcore and I'm getting blown up good. This is after close to 2 hours and having gotten down thru the scary mountain-scaling section. So I'm ready to call it a night haha.

[noiseredux]

fuck. How many hours long is Surface Tension? Still having a lot of fun, but all these tanks and helicopters and landmines and snipers are getting rough.

[dsheinem]

fuck. How many hours long is Surface Tension? Still having a lot of fun, but all these tanks and helicopters and landmines and snipers are getting rough.

where are you?

[noiseredux]

In a court yard with copter dropping soldiers.

[dsheinem]

In a court yard with copter dropping soldiers.

That's the loooooong chapter. I think you are about half-way, maybe a little less.

[noiseredux]

ugh, so the guide said to shoot down the copter and after several tries I said 'fuck it, I'm just gonna run through and see what happens' and was able to proceed. One thing interesting about this port - and I'll aim to outline more extensively on my blog - is that the guide was published so presumably there was a final version. That said, the leaked version is not actually quite the same as what the guide says. I mean just things like enemy placement here or there, or that weird door situation I ran into earlier. It just seems that maybe Prima wrote the guide based on the PC version even though the DC version would actually have a few (if small) changes. Interesting nonetheless.

Anyway, back to having a lot of fun instead of trying to take down a huge copter.

EDIT:

OMG FINALLY on to the next area - 'Forget About Freeman.' I must say Surface Tension was the only section that felt too long. If the part where you went down the cliff was its own section that would have made more sense to me. But yeah - adventurin' on.

[jinx]

Yes!
Last workday. I have a dentist appointment immediately after work, and then a full 24 hours worth of gaming. A huge amount of time has been allotted to Half-Life. I hope I don't end up passing out, I have a harder time than I used to with these all-day/all-night game marathons. Last one I attempted I passed out half-way through.