New Half-Life 2 screens... mmmm good!

[Gog]

New Half-Life 2 screenshots

Those outdoor scenes, lighting and water effects are looking awesome. Also digging the interesting head gear of those troopers.

This year is definitely the year of the FPS... Doom3, DeusX 2, Farcry, Stalker... wonder who is going to make it as the GOY, my bet is on HL2.

 

[igowerf]

Those look nice. I heard that it's still using heavily modified HL engine? That can't be true can it?

I'm waiting for Deus Ex 2 and HL2.

 

[loup garou]

droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool


Ok, now my gripes:
1)Outdoor scenes are cool and all, but when I think Half-Life, I think indoor scenes where you don't know what's around the corner.
2)Why does everyone have to make their aliens look like Zerg/Starship Troopers/Alien/Pitch Black??? :|

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: igowerf
Those look nice. I heard that it's still using heavily modified HL engine? That can't be true can it?

I'm waiting for Deus Ex 2 and HL2.

I'm building a new computer this June to celebrate Deus Ex 2 !

 

[J5im8yo]

THOSE ARE ZERGS!! They look like zerglins and hydralisks!

btw: i got my 9700 Pro rdy to roll anytime one of these babies come on i mean HF2 or DOOM III

 

[screw3d]

holysmokes

whoa...makes me happy to be a PC gamer

 

[Gog]

I think I remember reading that the engine is completely revamped, and appropriately named the Valve engine.
And about the lack of corridors... true corridors made up a decent chunk of the originial HL, but at the same time there were a lot of interesting things interspersed between those corridors. Anyway, I'm sure you'll get your fill of running through corridors in DoomIII.
Honestly, from the screenshots I've seen so far, I'm more interested in HL2 both graphicly and in terms of simple game play than Doom III. Doom was original and it had done something that had never been done before. With DoomIII, by simply taking the original game and improving the graphics (albeit to a level never seen before) they won't be introducing anything new to gameplay or atmosphore of their series which is pretty much made up of drab, dark corridors.
I'm also really looking forward to Farcry... if you go to their website you'll see why. Awesome graphics - reminds me a little of Giants: CK - and interesting use of AI in bots.
With a game like DE2, although the concept sounds amazing, it seems that it would involve to much involvement.

 

[notfred]

I could care less what half-life 2 looks like as long as it's as engrossing as the first one.

 

[Malladine]

Originally posted by: Tyler
I could care less what half-life 2 looks like as long as it's as engrossing as the first one.

Well put.

Having said this, by the time these games are released both my wife and I will have high end rigs, oh yes!

Or rather I will...she already has hers :frown:

*EDIT*
What's this:

it seems that it would involve to much involvement.

Hmm?

 

[Malladine]

Did you notice all that "first" crap going on underneath the pics? Damn, it's EVERYWHERE! :disgust:

 

[Gog]

first off, just fyi, the expression is "i could not care less," not "I could care less." If you could care less about something it implies that you care for it to a certain extent.

and the entire discussion that graphics aren't important is pretty much a falisy. if they aren't why aren't you still playing games on the atari? or Wolf3D if you feel like playing a fps?

and Malladine, i guess you didn't notice the contradiction in your post. If what Tyler said was 'well put' why are you bothering to upgrade your system. HL2 should be able to run on DirectX6 cards. Perhaps the graphics are important afterall.

My point about DX2 is that it may require more involvement on the part of the player to keep tabs on all the details, more than some gamers may be willing to put into.

 

[Malladine]

and Malladine, i guess you didn't notice the contradiction in your post. If what Tyler said was 'well put' why are you bothering to upgrade your system. HL2 should be able to run on DirectX6 cards. Perhaps the graphics are important afterall.

Lol. 1. You don't know what I'm upgrading from and 2. You think maybe there could be other games worth an upgrade?

Oh and while you're correcting grammar, try spelling falisy "fallacy." Thanks

You're behaving in a ridiculously defensive manner. I agree that the gfx look good. Is that all you wanted as a response?

 

[Schadenfroh]

what API does it use. omg i hope they did not waste such a good game on Direct X

 

[Gog]

ok mom

 

[DefRef]

According to the PC Gamer article, it's an all-new engine called Source that will look ultra-fly on a new pimp rig, but also scales back to run on a DX6-class TNT...like that won't suck! It's got dust, smoke, fire particle systems, ragdoll AI and advanced skeletal animation - the usual goodies.

What's REALLY interesting is the texture system which attaches properties to different textures that will affect the SOUNDS and physics of objects. A metal texture will make klanging sound and only show small marks, while a brick texture will sound and damage differently. Wood can be SMASHED into splinters, which may have strategic impact.

This looks to be a GREAT year for game sequels, barring Unreal 2, because Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and DX: IW all promise either eye-searing visuals and/or enhanced gameplay that runs longer than their predecessors. Let's hope they pull it off, cuz I'm already putting people on notice that I will be unavailable on Sept. 30!

 

[RyanM]

Originally posted by: DefRef
According to the PC Gamer article, it's an all-new engine called Source that will look ultra-fly on a new pimp rig, but also scales back to run on a DX6-class TNT...like that won't suck! It's got dust, smoke, fire particle systems, ragdoll AI and advanced skeletal animation - the usual goodies.

What's REALLY interesting is the texture system which attaches properties to different textures that will affect the SOUNDS and physics of objects. A metal texture will make klanging sound and only show small marks, while a brick texture will sound and damage differently. Wood can be SMASHED into splinters, which may have strategic impact.

This looks to be a GREAT year for game sequels, barring Unreal 2, because Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and DX: IW all promise either eye-searing visuals and/or enhanced gameplay that runs longer than their predecessors. Let's hope they pull it off, cuz I'm already putting people on notice that I will be unavailable on Sept. 30!

You forgot the enhanced musculature system.

In addition to skeletons, there are also muscles meshed over the bones. As the characters move, so do the corresponding muscles, supposedly. I imagine this would look wicked-cool and be the sort of breakthrough the original Half-Life provided with the lips and blinking.

 

[grunjee]

Originally posted by: Gog
This year is definitely the year of the FPS... Doom3, DeusX 2, Farcry, Stalker...

Be careful when you lump Deus Ex into the same "FPS" heap with the rest of those games. Deus Ex is First Person Stealth before Shooter.

If you can't tell I'm a Deus Ex fanatic.

 

[DefRef]

Originally posted by: MachFiveYou forgot the enhanced musculature system.

I just didn't retype the whole article. As soon as E3 happens, all this info will be all over, so I gave my fingers a rest.

 

[RyanM]

Heheh, still, the muscle thing was a huge thing. I mean, as far as I can tell, that's the biggest weakness of character models right now. As recent as No One Lives Forever 2, we had characters that looked fantastic, they'd blink, their eyes would dart about, slips curl, fluid body movements, high level of poly and texture detail, etc.

The next big step would be to give them muscles so when moving, their movements are not only fluid, but they look like real things moving, instead of well-animated mannequins. ;-)

But yeah, I understand what you mean. A man can only type so much.

 

[Gog]

So will clothes that characters wear move seprately from the characters bodies?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: werk
droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool


Ok, now my gripes:
1)Outdoor scenes are cool and all, but when I think Half-Life, I think indoor scenes where you don't know what's around the corner.
2)Why does everyone have to make their aliens look like Zerg/Starship Troopers/Alien/Pitch Black??? :|

The aliens in the first picture look like the Harvesters in Star Trek: Elite Force; haven't seen much of Starship Troopers - stopped watching it cause it was just a bit too much pointless killing of various lifeforms.

This looks like it should be a pretty impressive game. It darn well better be!