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Half-Life 2 Deathmatch Confirmed

Satertek writes "Following up a previous post, a teaser was posted on the Steam website with the image HL2DM.jpg entitled 'Soon', confirming rumors of a Half-Life 2 Multiplayer Deathmatch game. It was also brought up on the forums by Valve. It will be released alongside the SDK sometime this week." Update: 12/01 13:49 GMT by T : Since this was written, "this week" has turned into "now"; the update was released last night.

13 of 470 comments (clear)

  1. Was there any reason- by thewldisntenuff · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not to include deathmatch in the original release? Doesn't seem to make much sense that a multiplayer deathmatch is not included, especially in a game like HL2.....

    -thewldisntenuff

    1. Re:Was there any reason- by The_great_orgazmo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Easy enough:

      1. game gets released
      2. game gets cracked and dumped onto a gazillion ftp servers
      3. pirates play single player.
      4. multiplayer gets released through steam which renders the game crack patch for the original useless.

      5. ppl that play pirated single player still want deathmatch, a % of those wont be able to find new and updated hackes/cracks whateveryouwanna call it
      6 they buy the game.
      7 profit !

    2. Re:Was there any reason- by stupidfoo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There were no plans, but soon after HL2 came out (and before the SDK was available) there was already a MOD supporting DM available.

      So, if it's that easy to support, why not just make that support official?

    3. Re:Was there any reason- by El_Smack · · Score: 2, Interesting


      "I guess that after the way Valve has treated its customers, a lot of people don't see the problem in screwing Valve."

      I really do see your point, but I think the logic it's predicated on is faulty.

      Valve can't *do* anything to you, unless you buy their product, and that's a decision* you get to make. And FWIW, I haven't bought a game in years, but I don't dress myself up in the shreds of a moral tit-for-tat. I just play the warezed version and enjoy them.


      * The only entity that can forcibly *do* anything to you is the Government. This anti-corporate nonsense is the best smoke screen corrupt leaders could ask for. "The best trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing people there is no Devil." The second best trick is to convince people that some other guy is the Devil.

      --


      There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
  2. Too much lag... by Omicron32 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've been playing it this morning. I'm not too impressed to be honest.

    Whereas I'm getting around 60FPS in the single player game, the amount of crap (i.e. radiators, filing cabinates, chairs) that's being thrown around in the game really slows the game down and makes it jump around and stutter. I've also been experiencing quite bad lagging on the few servers I've tried.

    It also appears that there's only two maps included... Well, that or every server admin out there has already decided that they'll only put two particular maps on rotation. (I may be wrong, I haven't checked this out properly yet.)

    All in all, a nice addition, but either my computer or the game could do with some optimisation before it becomes playable.

    1. Re:Too much lag... by deltagreen · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Perhaps the low FPS in death match is why they released it as an add-on download instead of in the initial release? Think about it, if it was in the retail box (or Steam purchase), the feature would almost certainly be advertised in promo material and everyone would expect performance to be good (or at least decent) if the system requirements were met. Finding out this was not the case would have made a lot of people complain, including reviewers, who might have subtracted from their scores.

      The way it is now, HL2 gets reviewed only on what was advertised and was in the box. Valve is happy and so is everyone who bought the game. Now, when death match is released, some will be a bit disappointed about performance, but as it was never part of the initial game, Valve will get credit for releasing a free extra instead of complaints about a product they charged money for.

      Note: I don't have anything against Valve, and this is not an attempt to bash the company, but simply an attempt so see things from a marketing POV. And, of course, there's always the possibilty that they weren't able to finish DM-mode in time for the release.

  3. Huge performance drop- in single player! by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Since the latest update, I havent had any of the crashing problems I had previously been experiencing (yay). But I have also seen a performance hit of over 40fps! (previously >90fps, now mere 50fps)
    I havent had any of the problems I see others mentioning about multiplayer performance hits- deathmatch has run just as smoothly for me as singleplayer, but all at only 50fps. I dont understand this, performance has been cut sharply in half, and the framerate is now noticeable :/
    Anyone else experience this?

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  4. Re:Hopefully all the server problems have been fix by Solder+Fumes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I knew about this an hour before the content actually appeared on Steam. I tried to install it: nothing. Not only did Deathmatch not work, but single-player and CS:Source would not load. Their patch broke everything. I hit the forums and nearly everyone else was having the same problem. I don't know if they've fixed it since last night, I was up until 3am trying to get it to run.

    I never had problems with Steam before, but now those complaints from two weeks ago hold a lot more weight. I couldn't even play single-player or Counterstrike.

  5. Replying to some previous posts... by kennycoder · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Today i've tryed hl2dm, and personally i prefer hl1dm, its much more fun.It seems like Valve wanted to make a surprise without working much, well that's a good intention :).
    Some dude said that no other game has a gravity gun, well doom3 has it, just download the mod from planetdoom.com
    Now about doom3 modding and mapping check doom3world and take a look at this very interesting project.

    --
    Fucking a fat girl is like riding a scooter... it's fun 'til someone sees you.
  6. Servers by The+Tyro · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Don't know what servers you picked, but I only had the problem you're describing with one of them... maybe your comp or connection need some tuning? Just a thought...

    Honestly, I had a blast playing it this morning... lots of action... people improvising with the gravity gun all over the place; there's nothing quite so cool as getting kills with a thrown filing cabinet. People were very good-humored about it too. Getting fragged with a filing cabinet is new/different/cool... without the humiliation of getting knifed in the original CS).

    Tip: get the RPG launcher and camp on the roof... you'll rack up some serious frags.

    --
    Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
  7. I think a lot of people have missed the point... by El+Camino+SS · · Score: 5, Interesting


    This multiplayer and movable objects is really what HL2 is all about. The build options are really very striking.

    I played deathmatch, but it really isn't what it is all about. Deathmatch is a taste to show the community what it is really all about. Imagine a capture game with breachable walls and doorways, and people slapping up chickenwire and "nailing" wall objects to keep the windows from getting naded, things like that. The piles of junk to keep the attacker options down, and the attackers blowing debris to get to it. rfare, they are urban-like warfare on a map that only looks like urban warfare on the outside. When you can use a couch for cover and move it to hide, then we will be happier. Much happier. Deathmatch is too fast. Counter Strike is aggavatingly fast. It gives you no time to give an option about outplaying your opponent. With objects and physics, you will soon be able to do it.

    Look, most of you are crabbing this one... but if it was team deathmatch with liftable steel plate barriers, and sticky mines, you would be screaming like a monkey at the top of your lungs with joy. Don't worry. It's coming. Either by Valve in a week or two or by some modders. Some things are just downright obvious. Movable barriers, wall covers, breachable areas, and everything like that is coming, it is just a matter of who is going to do it.

    But why stop there?

    The good news is it isn't going to stop there. With an independent physics based system, imagine the "space marine" fantasies that we always had as a kid. You and some buddies online blowing out an airlock and gravity catapulting your way through a chain of asteroids to infiltrate a stranded mothership.

    Right now we are playing with standard physics settings, what is going to happen when they start messing with those settings? "Woot, I say, my good fellow, woot indeed."

    IMHO, Valve solved the largest problem and my biggest gripe with 3D video games when they made a physics engine that wasn't so wonky it made me laugh. It is simply a matter of time before the next killer multiplayer comes out, and it isn't going to look like CS. I personally can't wait to flip someone's minitank with my little Somali street trash barrier. But hey, keep griping, you'll shut up soon enough when you throw someone through a building in a superhero mod.

  8. very very good reason by l4m3z0r · · Score: 2, Interesting

    umm yeah a very good reason... If you incrementally add features through a service that checks to see if you have pirated software it makes pirated junk less and less useful encouraging you to actually buy the game instead of yanking it off of kazaa..

  9. Re:Party Pooper by atriusofbricia · · Score: 2, Interesting
    You know, I hate to shoot the sacred cow of CS, but there really is not anything special about it. When it first came out, okay maybe. But, now?!

    I have no idea how anyone can claim it's better than any of the more recent FPSes. If you want variety, options, and not just boring kill everything modes, then CS does not deliver. Compare CS and Desert Combat. DC has real world vehicles, excellent weapons, a real need for coordinated attacks and movements.. and CS has... ummm.... errr..... nothing but the weapons. You want to talk team-based action? Come back to me when you can call in an air strike, artillery barrage, or naval bombardment when you get pinned down.

    --
    I was raised on the command line, bitch

    "Nemo me impune lacesset"