___ ___ .__ _____ .____ .__ _____
/ | \ _____ | | _/ ____\ | | |__|_/ ____\ ____
/ ~ \\__ \ | | \ __\ | | | |\ __\ _/ __ \
\ Y / / __ \_| |__ | | | |___ | | | | \ ___/
\___|_ / (____ /|____/ |__| |_______ \|__| |__| \___ >
\/ \/ \/ \/
_________ __ __
/ _____/_/ |_ _______ _____ _/ |_ ____ ____ ___.__.
\_____ \ \ __\\_ __ \\__ \ \ __\_/ __ \ / ___\ < | |
/ \ | | | | \/ / __ \_ | | \ ___/ / /_/ > \___ |
/_______ / |__| |__| (____ / |__| \___ > \___ / / ____|
\/ \/ \/ /_____/ \/
________ .__ .___
/ _____/ __ __ |__| __| _/ ____
/ \ ___ | | \| | / __ | _/ __ \
\ \_\ \| | /| |/ /_/ | \ ___/
\______ /|____/ |__|\____ | \___ >
\/ \/ \/
Version 1.53
___________________________________
written by Stijn Bolle (24-04-2000)
e-mail:
[email protected]
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________
Contents
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1 Updates
2 Introduction
3 Multiplayer Tactics & Strategies
3.1 Starting
3.2 Controls
3.3 Using Sound
3.4 The Level starts
3.5 Multiplayer Opponents
3.6 General Tactics
3.7 Advanced Tactics
4 Weapons Guide
4.1 Crowbar
4.2 9mm Pistol
4.3 .357 Magnum
4.4 Sub-Machine Gun
4.5 Shotgun
4.6 Crossbow
4.7 R.P.G.
4.8 Gauss Gun
4.9 Egon Gun
4.10 Hive Hand
4.11 Trip Mines
4.12 Satchel Charges
4.13 Grenades
4.14 Snarks
4.15 Long Jump Module
5 Cheats
5.1 Console cheats 1
5.2 Console cheats 2
5.3 Commandline parameters
5.4 Easter eggs & tricks
6 Author
7 Legal Notice
_________
I Updates
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*** Version 1.53
- Some information on the RPG has been corrected.
- The entire lay-out has been revised and new contact information has
been added.
- Some more easter eggs have been added.
*** Version 1.52
- Minor update. Some general info has been added and updated
*** Version 1.51
- Updated information on the Egon gun has been added by Dimitry
Vitukhnovsky
- More tactics have been added to the Advanced Tactics section (3.7)
*** Version 1.5
- I've neglected this strategy guide a while, but that's mainly because I
was busy writing other guides, maintaining my website and (of course)
playing games. I revised the entire lay-out of the guide (it was a bit
messy) and I put my new email address in here so that people won't mail
me on my old address anymore. Others updates include a revised cheat
section, an updated "advanced tactics section", the removal of some
older sections an a general correction of spelling mistakes.
*** Version 1.2
- Various corrections has been added
- The "Controls (3.2)" section has been updated
- The "The Game Starts (3.4)" section has been updated
- The "Multiplayer Opponents (3.5)" section has been updated
- The "General Tactics (3.6)" section has been added
- The "Advanced Tactics (3.7)" section has been added
*** Version 1.1
- "Contents" has been added
- Some Spelling Corrections
- The "Kind of Players" section has been added
- The Downloads Section has been added
- The Links Section has been added
*** Version 1.0
- The first version, everything has been added
_______________
II Introduction
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Half Life caused a real hysteria among gamers, the game got lots of
awards (Game of the year 1998) and positive comments and reviews for its
magnificent gameplay and AI scripting. Valve (who developed the game)
really deserve it, Half Life is truly a magnificent game, but it's not
without its faults. It's not that I want to criticize a masterpiece, but
these are some negative points I bumped into.
- although the game is great in singleplayer, multiplayer games are not
so intense. Team games are very good (especially with team fortress),
but plain deathmatching is very boring. Without the long jump module,
you move extremely slowly and it's hard to run away or to avoid
opponents.
- no weapon is really overwhelming in multiplayer. "That's great!" you
probably say, "Balanced Weapons, no mighty BFG weapons!". No, it's not
There's almost no way to kill of enemies quickly in close combat (the
crossbow doesn't count). I really miss the Rocket Launcher from Quake
2. Especially the RPG really sucks, it looks pretty cool, but it just
doesn't work fine and has an incredibly long reloading time. The
balanced weapons may also prove to be a positive aspect for beginning
players: one shot isn't deadly, after you're hit you can spot you
enemy and plan your own attack. In games like Quake, one attack is
usually fatal.
Well, that's all for the negative aspects, the rest is positive :) Let's
get back to this guide. I wrote this guide for beginning to advanced
players. I'll explain basic commands that appear in every shooting game
(circle strafing, ...) so if you're familiar with all those things, you
might skip them, but if you want to be a really good player, read them
anyway.
Half Life isn't really an ordinary multiplayer game, you need to adapt
your tactics to the slower gameplay. If you're able to use and perform
everything written in this Strategy Guide, you may consider yourself as
an advanced half life player, ready to conquer other Half Life player all
over the world.
Half Life's weapons leave much room to create your own tactics. With the
use of trip mines, you can create barriers to protect yourself.
I would consider myself as an advanced player. I also have multiplayer
experience with Doom, Doom, Hexen, Outlaws, Jedi Knights, Unreal, Quake,
Quake 2, Quake 3, Alien vs Predator & Kingpin. Because I live in Belgium,
it's rather hard to play over the internet (Lag & high telephone costs).
Still, I have a 3-computer lan network at home, which comes pretty close
to the real thing.
Have fun and don't hesitate to e-mail new information or additions at
[email protected]
____________________________________
III Multiplayer Tactics & Strategies
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3.1 Starting
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How good am I?
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No Single Player game can compare the real intense gameplay from an
adrenaline-filled multiplayer game. Multiplayer Games are fun, but also
extremely fast and difficult. No second chances. Luckily, Half Life is
very forgiving in this aspect. Most weapons need multiple hits for a
frag, so as a newbie, you don't get killed every two seconds.
Never give up if you always lose against other players. Try to discover
their tactics and create your own strategies. Study the movement of your
opponent and compare it to yours. What do you do wrong? What is your
opponent's strategy to kill you all the time? When you have discovered
the weak spots and you can perfectly master the controls, you won't lose
the next time.
Modem & Connection Requirements
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There's an aspect that make multiplayer games different from
singleplayer games. If you don't have a good internet connection, you
will always lose, it doesn't matter how good you are or how fast your
computer is. The minimum modem baud transfer rate is a 33.6. This
REALLY is the minimum. There's no chance the game will run fluid, but it
just may do on a local server. Always look at the ping of your opponents
Do not games where the ping is too high, it's just no fair game then for
yourself and you will also slow down other players.
On the other hand, having a fast modem doesn't guarantee fast
multiplayer games. There's also something a little thing called lag.
This means if you're playing on a fast server with a low ping (= fast)
and somebody with a very high pings joins the game, there's a chance
your game will be slowed down too. The movement of the models won't be
smooth then either, they will disappear and pop up somewhere else. Very
annoying for aiming. Disable as much options as you can in Multiplayer.
High quality models for a start. At the download section, I'll give you
the url of a lowping file, a file that will remove decals, blood &
sounds from the game to improve the gameplay speed.
Make sure you always have the latest Half Life patch. Players with
different game version won't be able to play against each other if they
do not have the same game version. Just download the latest version and
check for new ones regularly, you won't have any problems then.
Measuring a server's speed
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You really should download the program Gamespy (
http://www.gamespy.com)
This program won't only show the ping times (the lags), it will also
list all servers currently running half life games. Simply choose the
game with the lowest ping. A server with a ping rate from 200 will run
very smooth, but a ping rate from 400 or higher will make the game
unplayable. Make sure you have the right mod if you want to enter
special games. Various modifications have been made for Half Life, you
only have to download and install them to use them too.
Computer Requirements
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If the game runs smooth on your computer in singleplayer, there's a big
chance the game will run fine in multiplayer. The modem really does
everything in multiplayer games.
3.2 Controls
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There's no such thing as ideal controls, but still, some people get much
more advantage from their controls than others. Aiming with the mouse for
example is a must. There are some people that stick to their keyboard
(like I used to do once). Using the mouse will always allow you to aim
better and quicker, no matter what others say.
To save specific controls, edit the autoexec.cfg file in the half life
directory. These settings will be used then every time you start the game.
If you're just testing, make a back-up of the autoexec.cfg file first.
Master your controls in singleplayer first before rushing in Multiplayer
Games until you're used to them. People who played other multiplayer
3d-shooters normally won't have problems with the controls.
I really think you should try to find you own way of controlling the game,
but if you really can't do all the movements you want, you might try my
configuration (see lower)
Configure your keyboard so you can strafe with two separate keys instead
of using one button and moving your mouse right or left to strafe. I chose
a relaxed way to use my keyboard so I don't have to contort my fingers
into some weird position. Some people still prefer a keyboard to a mouse
and insist that it is better (what planet are they from?). It's up to you.
Try everything until you find something that works for you.
Make sure that your mouse is on the fastest speed in the options menu.
Turn brightness all the way up so that you see things in shadows better.
Always enable the crosshair. Even if you think you don't need a crosshair,
still turn it on, it's ALWAYS better.
My basic controls
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_____________________________________________________________________
| __ __________ |
| [__] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_] | | |
| ___ '----------' |
| [_][_][Z][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][___] [_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] |
| [__][Q][S][D][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][ | [_][_][_] [_][_][_][ | |
| [___][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][____| [_][_][_][_| |
| [Shif][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][___][_] [_] [_][_][_][ | |
| [Cr] [__][________Space________][_] [__] [_][_][_] [____][_][_| |
|_____________________________________________________________________|
Z = move forward (left hand, middle finger)
S = move backward (left hand, middle finger)
Q = strafe left (left hand, ring finger)
D = strafe right (left hand, index finger)
Ctrl = Duck (left hand, little finger)
Shift = Run\Walk (left hand, little finger)
Space = Jump (left hand, thumb)
Mouse = Aim (right hand)
Left Mouse Button = Primary Fire (right hand, index finger)
Middle Mouse Button = Cycle Weapons (right hand, middle finger)
Right Mouse Button = Secondary Fire (right hand, ring finger)
I can duck or jump anytime I want using this configuration. I don't use a
turn left or turn right key, I simply move forward while moving the mouse
left or right to turn. I can quickly pop up from around a corner, fire a
shot and disappear again a second later using the strafe keys.
You don't need to copy this controls to become a good player. Just make
sure you can perform all the techniques described above using your
configuration and it will work out fine too.
Reaper's controls
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Reaper sent me his controls as an alternative:
_____________________________________________________________________
| __ __________ |
| [__] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] [_][_][_] | | |
| ___ '----------' |
| [_][_][Z][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][___] [_][_][_] [_][_][_][_] |
| [__][Q][S][D][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][ | [D][E][P] [_][_][_][ | |
| [__][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][Enter| [_][_][_][_| |
| [][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][_][___][Shift] [U] [1][_][_][ | |
| [_] [__][_____________________][_] [Ctrl] [L][D][R] [_0_][_][_| |
|_____________________________________________________________________|
Walk Forward: Up key (left middle key)
Walk backwards: Down Key (left pointing finger)
Strafe left: Left key (depends what other keys l'm using, could be
left thumb or left middle finger)
Strafe Right: Right Key (left pointing finger)
Right Ctrl: Crouch (left thumb)
Right Shift: Jump (left ring finger)
Keypad 0: Next weapon (left pointing finger)
Keypad 1: Previous weapon (left middle finger)
Enter: use/talk/whatever (left little finger)
Left mouse key: Primary fire (right pointing finger)
Right mouse key: Secondary fire (right middle finger) (l have a
three-key mouse, but for some reason, the middle key
doesn't function.)
Reload: PageDn (left middle finger)
Delete: Walk (left ring finger)
End: Flashlight (left middle finger)
It may seem a little complicated, but of coure, when you're used to the
keyboard, it gets real easy. I was one of those "keyboard-only" people,
when it was the time of the Build engine (aah, Duke3D, Blood 1...) but
then l saw the necessity of aiming and turning with the mouse.
3.3 Using Sound
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Why use sound?
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A far underestimated aspect of multiplayer games is the use of sound.
Sound will give you a lot of information about the opponent. Is he far
or near? Which weapon is he currently carrying? Of course, you get the
best effects if you have a 3D sound surround system. Half Life supports
the EAX technology and it cannot be denied, the EAX effects are really
astonishing and give you much more advantage on other players. It will
leave no doubt about the coordinates of the opponent, but it will slow
down the game though.
If you don't have such a card, you have to guess a bit. I do a lot of
LAN network play home and I bought a Soundblaster Live for 3D surround.
I don't know if other cards are better, but it was the best one in the
tests I read. The results are really magnificent (especially with 4
full-sized boxes). Now the whole neighbourhood knows how my multiplayer
games are going :)
The price for a 3D-sound card isn't high at all and I can only slap
myself on the forehead I didn't bought one earlier.
Footsteps
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Make sure when you start a multiplayer game (when you're the host) you
enable the footsteps. This will allow you to hear the footsteps of your
opponent. If you're running around in a not so crowded multiplayer game
and you suddenly hear footsteps very near, stand still at once and make
you're sure where the sound is coming from. By using the crouch key or
the walk key, you can slowly walk forward without making any sound. This
is very useful to get away from a position your opponent knows you're
there, but he can't see you.
3.4 The Level Starts
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Finally, the multiplayer level starts. You shouldn't start hunting for
players at once (unless you're playing with 16 or more). Try to find some
good weapons first and get as much armour as you can. I always go look for
the long jump module too, because I feel more comfortable having it
equipped.
You really should study the level a bit before playing. Explore the level
on your own until you know all the good spots where to hide and where to
find weapons. This really will give you a lot of advantage, but don't go
extreme. Don't explore the levels until you know where to find ANY texture
you will be sick of playing Half Life until then.
When you know where to find most things and the level starts, go look for
some strong weapons first and try to find the enemy later. If you're
really a rushing person, you can try to take him out, while he's only
having a pistol. Listen carefully if you don't hear any footsteps nearby
when the level starts. If you're confronted with another player while
only having the pistol, simply use the secondary fire function and empty
all your ammo in his head. If you can't take him out, flee.
As soon as you've killed some players, you'll be able to pick up their
weapons. If you're really good, you'll never have to look for weapons.
Don't forget to find some health now and then. It's much better to run
away when you're low on health than risking giving away a frag to
another person. After all, it's the number of frags that counts at the
end of a match. I'm not telling you to be a coward, just be smart.
The secret to knowing your way around in levels is based on experience.
Don't worry about memorizing where a certain weapon is for every level.
Instead, run around and pick things up until you realize that you know
what's around the corner.
3.5 Multiplayer Opponents
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When you play multiplayer games, logically, there are opponents. The nice
thing about multiplayer games is that they can be very surprising, since
no AI Routine can match the capriciousness of a human mind. That's why
there are so many different playing styles. In this section, I'll try to
explain some styles and how to deal with them.
Most people play very all-round If you want to be a good player, you have
to be good at everything of course.
The problem with Half Life is the slow movement. If you played Quake (2)
a lot, you will feel very frustrated in the beginning. You can't jump fast
around players. A good aim is necessary to take out other players.
Covering your back is also very important. If you're hurt to much and you
want to flee, you can't just run away quickly leaving the other player
behind. Cover your back with the RPG. Hurting other people is no necessary
just make your opponent think he can never get to you through all the fire
Most people won't follow you if you flee, that's because setting a trap
for an opponent is fairly easy. Later this guide, I'll explain some
special tactics against multiplayer opponents.
3.6 General Tactics
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A. Defend yourself by running away
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The first thing I learned with 3D-shoot-em-up multiplayer games was that
going after someone with your pistol right after you respawn is useless.
You die right away. A lot of newbies just stand there and shoot right
after they respawn. Experienced, well armed people know how to get a
quick score when they see one. So, try to avoid all firing until you
bump into some good weapons. Most people will chase you until they see
someone else to frag; they are easily distracted. However, if you run,
don't let them shoot your back. All the gunfire will eat through your
health extremely fast. If you have to run away, you can also consider
running backwards while firing at your opponents. You can only do this
when you have experience with the map. If you get stuck in corner while
running backwards, you'll be an easy frag.
The most easy way to get out is to use the long jump module. If you have
one and your opponent not, he'll be too slow and lose track of you.
After a while, you'll find some good escape routes. Escape routes are
places to go that involve an elevator or some kind of maze to get lost
in. Your attacker will be right behind you until you go up an elevator
which doesn't go back down for a few seconds. That elevator gives you
enough time to get away.
Also always make sure to auto-enable auto run. You already move quite
slow in Half Life, you need the extra boost. So, when you have enabled
auto-run, run like mad ALL THE TIME. If you stand in one spot for too
long you become an easy target.
Don't follow the same path every time, this will become very predictable
for other players and they will be waiting for you.
B. Vary your movements
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Don't always move in the same way. Some people duck all the time if
someone shoots at hem, or they always strafe right. Once your opponents
get used to the way you move, you're dead meat. Use different styles of
strafe, jump and duck movement to gain success.
Varying your movement is not the only thing, also vary the routes you
take. If you always move in the same circle around the map to get all
good weapons, people will ambush you. Try different routes and make sure
your opponent never awaits you.
C. Strafing
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While you are learning how to run, practice strafing. Strafing is a
great way to avoid getting hit. If you're good they won't be able to
touch you. If someone has a powerful weapon, you can use the strafing
tactic to empty his ammo supply. It's also very useful at the egon gun.
If someone get a two second full hit at you, you'll be killed, but if
you strafe all the time you'll be a harder target and your opponent will
lose a lot of ammo. First learn to strafe to avoid bullets, then learn
to strafe and KILL. Don't keep strafing to the same side all the time.
Quickly moving in different directions is more successful.
D Circle Strafing
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Now that you can defend yourself, or at least know how, you can work on
fragging. If you are good at strafing backwards and forwards you are
ready to learn circle strafing. Circle strafing is what happens when you
aim with the mouse, strafe, and/or run all at the same time while
keeping your crosshair and viewpoint at the same opponent all the time.
This action is confusing to someone who is not used to it, especially
when you combine it with shooting. Any player with experience knows how
to perform circle strafing, it's done all the time.
A good exercise is to find an object that you can walk all around. Keep
it in aim while strafing and shooting. Strafe left for a time and then
right while keeping the target in aim as well as strafing all around it.
If you add forward motion the distance between you and the object is
smaller and seems faster. If you add backward motion you can run in a
small circle while shooting outward at someone. They will have a hard
time getting you as long as you keep the backward motion going.
You have to configure your keys for circle strafing, if you don't know
how, take a look at the controls section (3.2).
The drawback of circle strafing is that it is confusing when the other
player is good at dodging also. To counter this, run around your
opponent without strafing sometimes. Confuse them as much as possible
while keeping tabs on them. Get so that you can keep your aim on them no
matter how confusing you run.
Run forward at them and when they get behind you, do a 180 degree turn,
and shoot immediately. If a player is too hard to hit with these
techniques back away from the player and try to get them from a distance
E You hear someone approaching
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If you hear someone approaching that is unaware of your position, you
can consider hiding behind a wall or behind a crate and take him out
from behind. You can also use a grenade, a satchel or some snarks to
surprise him. Keep in mind that when you select the snarks, they often
make a little sound your opponent can hear. He will be warned then. One
of the best attacks is to rush around the corner towards your opponent
and blast him with the secondary fire mode of your shotgun before he
has the chance to react.
Different terrain makes different sounds in Half Life. Stone, water and
grass have their own sound, picking up a weapon & items has its own
sound, even climbing ladders makes an unique sound. If you know the
level by heart, you can easily figure out the position of your opponent
by the sounds you hear. To avoid being discovered yourself, avoid taking
weapons & items that make a rare sound.
For more special tactics with sound, read the advanced tactics below
(3.7)
3.7 Advanced Tactics
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Here, you'll read about some special tactics I use. Some of them are quite
good, while others are a bit easy and predictable. This section is very
limited right now, maybe I'll expand it in the future. If you have some
great tricks, don't hesitate to mail them on
[email protected]
Satchel Charges
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If someone is chasing you, drop a satchel charge behind you
while running and let it explode when your opponent is nearby. If you
want to make sure the other player is surprised, do it just behind a
corner for a surprise effect. The same can be done with snarks, but keep
in mind they make a little sound when being released, so your opponent
will be prepared.
Snarks are not so effective as satchel charges, your opponent can easily
avoid the little creatures and continue chasing you. With the satchel
charge, you can hit an opponent or slow him down a bit. Quite effective.
Satchel Charges dirty trick
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This is a very dirty trick. First find a place where the satchel charges
respawn. There, drop a satchel so it looks like a spawned one. Now move
to an area where you can see that respawn place. Whenever your opponent
is nearby, let them explode, he'll never see it.
Head Shots
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About 30% of the Half Life players still doesn't know aiming for the
head causes three times as much damage as normal hits. You'll see a lot
of extra blood too when you do a heat shot, so you can see when you did
it right. Do not underestimate this powerful feature and always try to
aim for the head.
Small corridor
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If you have your opponent trapped in a small corridor (with a dead end),
this can be hard for you to get him out. The most effective way is the
use of snarks. If you have got enough of them, you can give you opponent
a hard time.
Mostly, your opponent will be standing in the back of the corridor with
his back lined up against the wall. If you're quick, you can try using a
grenade or an RPG to take him out. To do this, first shoot a lot into
the corridor from a certain direction or use a satchel charge to make
your opponent think you're on another position. Then slowly move towards
the entrance (walk, don’t run, so your opponent can't hear you
approaching) and quickly strafe around the corner, shoot and get back
away. If you're quick and you do it right, you'll be able to surprise
the other player.
If it's too hard, just run away and look for a sniping point where you
can take out the opponent when he leaves the corridor (aim with the
crossbow). If your opponent doesn't leave, even when he heard you run
away, use satchel charges or something else to give him a fake idea
about your position. Whenever he leaves then, take him out.
You can also place some tripmines in front of the entrance, where your
opponent can't see them. Just run away and go to a point a bit further.
He will rush out. If the trip mines don't kill them or he shoots them to
destroy them, use your RPG or crossbow to take him out in the meantime.
Fake Jumps
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You can also lure weapons by the use of sounds. If you're standing on a
high platform, and someone is aiming for you at the bottom of the
platform, you can fake a jump so your opponent shoots. Then, while he's
reloading the weapon, quickly shoot him. Of course, don't do this if
your opponent is holding a weapon that doesn't need reloading after one
shot.
Confuse with sound
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To really confuse your opponent, drop a weapon and pick it up again at
a place far away from where the weapon spawns. Your opponent will have
trouble then positioning you.
Lure enemies
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If you really want to do a dirty trick: this is one! If you don't know
where your opponent is and you want to lure him in a trap, do the
following. First, make sure you have the Crossbow or something else you
can snipe with or take out your enemy quickly. Then, drop a powerful
item at an open place. Go to your sniping position and aim for the item.
Most people pick up weapons whenever they see them, whether they need
them or not. Unsuspicious players will walk towards the item and pick it
up. Finish them off. Of course, this cannot be done twice.
Hide your sound
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If you hear the sound of an opponent nearby and you want to move away
without revealing your position, press the run key to walk or the crouch
key and you will slowly move without making any sound. If you go down
stairs or jump down from a wall, you'll make some noise.
Zoom Cheat
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This cheat will allow you to use the zoom function with all weapons.
Having zoomed in with the crossbow, quick-save using the F6 key. Load
the game with F7 and no matter which weapon you change to, the view will
stay zoomed-in.
Quick weapon reload
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First of all, this only works for weapons with slow reload times, like
the magnum and the tranquilliser crossbow. Upon running out of ammo in
your clip, you will begin to reload your weapon. If you want to fire
faster, simply changes your weapon while in the reloading animation, and
then switch back to the weapon you want to use, and reloading will be
complete.
Longer jumps without long jump module
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You jump much more further than with long jump module. Just press
crouch, concentrate the gauss weapon, aim at the floor (under an angle
45° or smaller) and run backward. Then free the crouch button and fire
from the gauss at the same time. There is one little problem, you will
get about 15 dmg from the gauss weapon. Just try it. In the Boot Camp
map (I´m sure you know it), there is a large square. With this jump,
you can fly from the one edge to the another.
Added by Balázs Kutil
Slow down your fall
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I've found one more trick. If you want to slow your fall (and eliminate
the falling dmg) use the concentrated gauss. Just aim on the floor and
fire. That's all.
Added by Balázs Kutil
Disable the RPG dot
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This isn't really an advanced tactic, but is simply something some
(even advanced) players forget to do. Walking around with the rpg in
multiplayer often reveals your position due to its red laser dot
flying around all over the level. Most players get easy located and
killed then. Simply press the secondary fire function and the laser
dot will disabled, leaving you hidden to all other players. Then, once
you fire the RPG, you can enable the red dot again and steer it. This
can cause very nice surprises to unaware opponents around the corner.
Shooting around walls with the RPG
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You probably noticed already, if you move the laser dot while the
missile is in the air, you can still move its path. If you're sure
someone is hiding behind a wall, aim extremely left or right from the
wall and when the rocket reaches is almost at the same horizontal line
as the wall, aim the laser dot as fast as you can to the wall where
you're opponent is hiding and the missile will move behind the wall.
Of course, this asks some practice. If you have mastered it, you might
also consider learning to take out an enemy ducking behind a crate by
sending the missile high in the air, and then moving it down fast for
a direct hit.
Moving the opponent's missile with the RPG
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Half Life doesn't make a difference between different laser dots. That
means you can easily take over the missile of your opponent using your
own laser dot and aim it to him. This asks A LOT of practice and I
succeeded only once in performing this action (my opponent was
extremely confused after my action, he had no clue how I did that and
he started to accuse me of cheating :)
________________
IV Weapons Guide
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4.1 Crowbar
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Primary Fire: Crowbar Slash
Secondary Fire: None
Hitting Rate: 4 hits per second
Damage: 25% per hit (75% headshot)
Shots before reloading: None
Maximum Ammo: Unlimited
Which Enemies attack with it ? Sound dogs, zombie scientists, head crabs,
baby headcrabs, roof barnacle
Singleplayer
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The crowbar is extremely important in singleplayer. You need to use the
crowbar to break open all crates you find, that's saves you a lot of
ammo. If you have a good timing, you can kill headcrabs with it and
sound dogs (there are 4 seconds before they launch the sound wave). You
even shouldn't waste ammo on the zombie scientists. Simply dash forward
and hit them 3 times. Move back as he tries to hit you with his arm
(one after each other). Then dash forward again and finish him off. To
kill headcrabs, move forward to them, causing them to jump at you.
Strafe right or left to avoid them and place a quick (but deadly) hit
before they can attack you again. If you feel really lucky, you can also
try to kill the headcrabs in mid-flight.
If you've mastered the headcrab timing, you can also kill the roof
barnacle without losing ammo. ONLY when they're not to high, let them
suck you up and just before it will drain health, hit it with the
crowbar. You will fall back down with the intestines of the dead
barnacle next to you.
Anytime you get the change to sneak on an enemy from behind, you can
easily hit it 3 or 4 times before it will react. Aim for the head for
triple damage and you'll finish him off.
The crowbar is also one of the only weapons that can be used under water
Use it if you need to.
Multiplayer
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The crowbar is also a far underestimated weapon in multiplayer games.
Use this weapon to sneak up on enemies and aim for their head. Keep in
mind that you can hit him 3 or 4 times in one second. If you don't have
any powerful weapons, this weapon can be much better than the Pistol if
your opponent doesn't move too much. Don't feel too lucky though, it's
still very weak.
If you're in a narrow area and the enemy can't strafe, the crowbar is
the most effective weapon. Just aim for the head.
If you should be out of ammo, use the crowbar to sneak around looking
for ammo, but never go to open places, because you'll be dead meat there
4.2 9mm Pistol
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Faster Fire
Firing Rate: 3 shots per second (primary), 5 per second (secondary)
Damage: 12% per hit (36% headshot)
Shots before reloading: 18
Maximum Ammo: 250
Which Enemies attack with it ? sound dogs, zombie scientists, head crabs,
baby headcrabs, bull chicken, roof barnacle
Singleplayer
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Although it's one of the default weapons, you can store lots of ammo.
Use it to take out the little enemies, but don't waste all your ammo on
the big ones unless you use headshots.
If you really have lots of ammo, you can use it instead of the crowbar
to break open all crates and finish off the easy enemies.
If you're really out of ammo, you might consider killing one of the
security guards that fights along with you, because they use that
weapon too.
Multiplayer
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This weapon can be used to sneak up on enemies. If you use the secondary
function, a few headshots from behind will finish your opponent off.
If you really have nothing better, you can use it from distance too, but
use it to cover yourself from followers instead of hitting the person.
This is in fact the weakest distance weapon in multiplayer. You have to
aim very precisely for hits and you don't cause much damage.
4.3 .357 Magnum
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Sniper Mode
Firing Rate: 2 shots per second
Damage: 40% per hit (120% headshot)
Shots before reloading: 6
Maximum Ammo: 30
Which Enemies attack with it ? Use it to snipe on bigger enemies when you
don't have the crossbow.
Singleplayer
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The magnum is a very bad weapon. It's an awful excuse for the pistol,
although the secondary zoom function is nice. A headshot will cause 120%
damage, so don't waste your ammo on little enemies, use your pistol
there. Use the magnum's secondary function to snipe on bigger enemies
when you want to save your crossbow.
Multiplayer
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Although the magnum may seem to be a great weapon, there's also
disadvantages. There's quite some noise while shooting, so shots can be
heard all around the area. You only have 6 bullets before you have to
reload and due to the long reloading time (at least 6 seconds), you will
be an easy target.
The magnum is almost as good for sniping as the crossbow and sometimes
even better, because when you're sniping with the crossbow and someone
attacks you from the back, it's hard to take him out because the
crossbow has explosive charges. That's no problem with the magnum.
When you snipe with the magnum, you see a little red laser dot. Enemies
can't see this (it's not the dot of the RPG), so you can aim carefully
and take opponents out without them noticing you or the red dot.
4.4 Sub-Machine Gun
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Grenade
Firing Rate: 12 shots per second
Damage: 12% per hit (36% headshot)
Shots before reloading: 50
Maximum Ammo: 250
Which Enemies attack with it ? Marines, Alien Slave, Bull Chicken & Alien
Grunt
Singleplayer
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The gun is one of my default weapons. You feel pretty safe when you're
dwelling around in buildings. Easy enemies can be taken out with the
fast primary function and the secondary function comes in handy when you
meet some tougher enemies.
This gun can also be used to quick strafe from behind walls due to its
fast firing rate.
Multiplayer
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If you aim for the head, you can quickly finish your opponent off.
Enemies jumping around can be taken down quickly because the fire
response when you pull the trigger is very accurate. The gun stores a
lot of ammo and it has a fast reloading time.
The secondary function is quite handy too. When you're in the middle of
a bunch of fighting people, simply move a bit backwards and shoot a
grenade (secondary) to finish them all off.
When you have to cover anyone in team play, this should be your
favourite pick too. The bullets have an unlimited range and the fast
firing rate will stop everyone from coming near. Quickly stand up from
behind a crate and empty your whole ammo storage. Your team mate will be
safe before the opponent gets the chance to take him down.
This is one of the most popular guns in multiplayer games. If you
encounter someone heavily armed, the secondary fire function will take
him out at once. The primary fire function can also be used for covering
your back when you flee. Whenever you hear the typical sound of the
grenade being fired, seek cover. It has quite a blast radius and deals a
lot of damage. Never do close combat too.
4.5 Shotgun
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Double Fire
Firing Rate: 2 shots per second
Damage: 8% per bullet primary, 16% secondary (2 bullets)
Shots before reloading: 8
Maximum Ammo: 50
Which Enemies attack with it ? Alien Slave, Bull Chicken, Headcrabs,
Marines (secondary)
Singleplayer
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Use the shotgun to take out the easy enemies. It's not powerful enough
to take out bigger ones. Marines can be taken out with it using
secondary fighters and also sniper babes.
Always reload after shooting enemies because the shotgun has quite a
long reloading time for an entire shell of 8 bullets.
Multiplayer
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This is not quite the shotgun from Quake 2. Normally, a shotgun does a
lot of damage when you shoot an enemy very close to you. It isn't like
that in half life. The secondary function can inflict quite some damage,
but this gun shouldn't be used on open spaces. Use it in buildings where
an enemy can appear quickly. Then use the secondary function and aim for
the head to kill him off. Especially in small, narrow places where
opponents can hardly move, the secondary function of the shotgun is
always deadly.
The gun needs quite an reloading time, but keep in mind that you can
shoot while you're reloading the gun. So after shooting at an enemy,
always reload your gun (even if you're in a dangerous place) because you
can shoot anytime while reloading the gun. Do remember that the
reloading will be aborted if you fire during the reloading process.
4.6 Crossbow
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Sniper Mode
Firing Rate: 2 shots per second
Damage: 60-100% per arrow (radial damage)
Shots before reloading: 5
Maximum Ammo: 50
Which Enemies attack with it ? Save the crossbow to take out big enemies
from distance.
Singleplayer
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In Singleplayer, the crossbow is less useful than in multiplayer. In
singleplayer, use the explosive blasts of the crossbow to take out
enemies from a little distance (not to close or you will hurt yourself),
but the secondary option will give your more advantage, because it
allows you to snipe and take out all the enemies from quite a distance.
Make sure you're in a safe position while sniping, because it takes some
time to reload the bow.
Multiplayer
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The crossbow surely is one of the weapons that is feared most in
Multiplayer games. The crossbow allows you to snipe from quiet some
distance and there's almost no sound that reveals your position.
People who use the crossbow are extremely hard to take out. As soon as
you're on an open place, people will aim for you. So, if you just have
to cross an open space, do a lot of jump, run, strafe and duck movements
to make the aiming harder for your opponent. Even from quite some
distance it's easy to hit a moving character.
The Crossbow does radial damage when using the primary fire mode. That
means that (just like the Rocket Launcher in Quake 2), you better aim for
the floor near the opponent (using the primary function) and the
explosive blast radius will damage your opponent. Aiming directly for the
opponent is dangerous because he can easily strafe away and take you out
while you're reloading the bow.
Make sure you're sniping on a safe place, because when someone attacks
you from the back, you can't take him out with the crossbow because the
blast will hurt yourself too. If the area is a bit crowded and you don't
want to take the risk, use the magnum instead. You can snipe too
(although not so far) and fire at once if someone should pop up behind
you.
It seems that the crossbow is often placed on places with a special sort
of underground so that opponents who are nearby can hear when someone is
going to get the crossbow. That's really handy to know because one aimed
headshot will kill you, even if you have some armour.
Whenever you sniped on someone and missed, change the weapon and find
another way to kill him. Your opponent will have heard the shot and
although he will not know where it came from, he will be very aware.
4.7 RPG
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Disable\Enable Laser Dot
Firing Rate: 2 shots per second
Damage: 120% per shot (radial damage)
Shots before reloading: 1
Maximum Ammo: 5
Which Enemies attack with it ? Big & Tough Enemies
Singleplayer
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The RPG isn't used to much in singlepayer, only to waste the giant
monsters or to take out three marines standing together at the same
time.
That is really the greatest advantage of the RPG, it doest quite some
radial damage that will hurt grouped enemies. Never use the RPG in tight
places, because that will damage you as well.
Multiplayer
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The RPG isn't used like most people think. It's not a rocket launcher
(and you sure can't do any rocket-jumping, only gauss jumping) The RPG
can only be used in open areas, where there are no hiding places. When
you shoot with the RPG, you can still move the red dot and the rocket
will follow the dot. The rocket goes very fast, so you can't make very
tight corners with it.
If you fire the RPG at someone, keep the dot over the running opponent
and it will hit him.
The RPG has a very long (but cool looking) reloading time, so make sure,
you're somewhere safe. You usually get one try to shoot, because the
reloading time will take about 4 seconds and that will give your
opponent enough time to flee or take you out.
* Advanced Tactic: Disable the Laser Dot
This isn't really an advanced tactic, but is simply something some
(even advanced) players forget to do. Walking around with the rpg in
multiplayer often reveals your position due to its red laser dot
flying around all over the level. Most players get easy located and
killed then. Simply press the secondary fire function and the laser
dot will disabled, leaving you hidden to all other players. The
only disadvantage is that you won't be able anymore to correct your
shot after the rpg has fired.
* Advanced Tactic: Shooting around walls
You probably noticed already, if you move the laser dot while the
missile is in the air, you can still move its path. If you're sure
someone is hiding behind a wall, aim extremely left or right from the
wall and when the rocket reaches is almost at the same horizontal line
as the wall, aim the laser dot as fast as you can to the wall where
you're opponent is hiding and the missile will move behind the wall.
Of course, this asks some practice. If you have mastered it, you might
also consider learning to take out an enemy ducking behind a crate by
sending the missile high in the air, and then moving it down fast for
a direct hit.
* Advanced Tactic: Moving the opponent's missile
Half Life doesn't make a difference between different laser dots. That</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
means you can easily take over the missile of your opponent using your
own laser dot and aim it to him. This asks A LOT of practice and I
succeeded only once in performing this action (my opponent was
extremely confused after my action, he had no clue how I did that and
he started to accuse me of cheating :)
4.8 Gauss Gun
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Load a blast
Firing Rate: 4 shots per second
Damage: 20% per shot
Shots before reloading: 100
Maximum Ammo: 100
Which Enemies attack with it ? None
Singleplayer
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I personally never use the Gauss Gun in Singleplayer, because it uses
the same ammo as the Egon Gun and as you probably know, the Egon Gun can
do much more damage and is much more effective against enemies.
Still you can use the gauss jumping ability (see further below), even in
Singleplayer. One great advantage of the gun is that there's no
reloading time, but be careful when using the secondary function of the
weapon. If you keep it more than 11 seconds charged, it will overheat
and blow all in your face. It would be wisely to release it a bit
earlier.
Multiplayer
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The Gauss Gun can be used to take out enemies from distant or near, but
especially the gauss jumping function is important (see lower) to get
enemies from your tail.
It's an all-round gun with very fast beams and no reloading time, but
the egon gun still always is better.
Another ability of the gauss gun is the shooting through walls. If you
charge the gauss to its maximum, it's possible to shoot through thin
walls, causing more than 200% radial damage (kills everyone off). Still,
you need a perfect timing and sometimes, the beam reflects and when you
stand to near to the wall, you get hit yourself.
Whenever you hear the gauss gun charging, you can be sure someone has
seen you and is charging for a final blow. Get away quickly, your
opponent will not be able to keep it charged and it will overheat and
blow up.
* Advanced Tactic: Gauss Jumping
Gauss Jumping is like rocket jumping in Quake 2, except for the less
loss of damage while gauss jumping. Gauss Jumping is also much easier
than rocket jumping. Simply hold the secondary fire function for six
seconds, look to the ground while walking or running and you will be
launched extremely high in the air.
You shouldn't use this to avoid enemies, but to get to high places,
where you need to go through a lot of stairs otherwise. If you
mastered the rocket jump in Quake 2, you can master this very quick.
4.9 Egon Gun
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Track the enemy (fire lockdown)
Firing Rate: 5 cells per second
Damage: 100% if you keep it on an enemy for 1 full second.
Shots before reloading: 100
Maximum Ammo: 100
Which Enemies attack with it ? Use this gun to take out all the big
enemies.
Singleplayer
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The Egon Gun is definitely the most powerful gun in the game. Its
blue beam cuts through everything in no time and has no reloading
time. Save as much ammo as you can and use it to out all big enemies
easily. The Egon is extremely powerful and the firing rate is even
slower than the Gauss Gun.
Multiplayer
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The Egon Gun cuts through players, just like the rail gun, so the Egon
should be used in crowded places. Holding the egon one full second on
an opponent will finish him off. There's no distance limit and hitting a
wall will do radial damage. Carrying this gun around allows you to
wander safely and kill any opponent in your neighbourhood.
That sounds fine, but what to do if someone else has the egon? If you
see, someone has the egon, try to hide behind boxes and throw some
grenades and stuff to cover yourself. Then flee. There's really no use
in fighting back, but you might consider sniping with the crossbow or
fighting back with the egon to take him out.
You won't have the time to use any other weapon because the egon can
kill you in one second.
If your opponent moves to quickly and you can't track him because he
keeps avoiding your egon fire, just use the secondary fire to track
your enemy (just keep the secondary fire button pressed). The tracking
is not perfect and it won't always follow a fast opponent, although it
still helps a lot.
Information on the secondary fire of the egon gun has been added by
Dimitry Vitukhnovsky (
[email protected])
4.10 Hive Hand
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Primary Fire: Normal Fire
Secondary Fire: Fast Fire
Firing Rate: 5 hits second (8 secondary)
Damage: 5-10% per hornet
Shots before reloading: 8
Maximum Ammo: 8
Which Enemies attack with it ? Take out tiny creatures with it or use it
to finish of bigger ones.
Singleplayer
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The Primary Mode of the Hive Hand automatically tracks opponents. This
means that the hornets you shoot, will turn around corners and go around
boxes and so ...
Since the Hive Hand has unlimited ammo, this is very useful. If you
think there's an enemy around the corner, simply shoot a few hornets and
see if they change direction. If they do so, it means there's someone
there.
Although the hive hand is one of the weakest weapons, you can use it on
a an enemy from distance, since the hornets track there targets and you
won't suffer any loss of ammo.
The Primary Function of the Hive Hand will fire homing hornets that will
track the enemy. After shot 8 of them, your weapon will reload
automatically to 8 hornets again. The Secondary function will fire much
faster, but the hornets won’t track the enemy. Use it only if you're
sure to get 8 direct hits because they don't do much damage.
Multiplayer
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In Multiplayer, the hive hand is extremely useful to chase down enemies
While you do so, your opponent will try to avoid you and duck behind
boxes and so. When he's doing so, switch to the hive hand and the
hornets will track the enemy and go around corners.
The Hive Hand can also be used when you're about to enter a suspicious
area. Although you don't hear any footsteps, it's possible that an enemy
is waiting for you there. Fire some hornets using the primary function
and look if they're changing direction. If they do so, you'll be warned,
someone is waiting there for you.
The Hive Hand can also be used to take out snark easily that are throw
to you. Because the Hive Hand will track them, a single shot per snark
will do.
4.11 Trip Mines
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Primary Fire: Place one
Secondary Fire: None
Firing Rate: none
Damage: 140% (direct hit)
Shots before reloading: none
Maximum Ammo: 5
Which Enemies attack with it ? None, use it to cut off passages
Singleplayer
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In Singleplayer, trip mines are not so useful. You can use them to
block off enemies that are coming after you, but you need to be quick
because it takes some time.
Use them every time you have to possibility, especially when a Alien
Grunt is following you. Trip Mines have a big blast radius and they
will get killed surely.
Multiplayer
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In Multiplayer, the trip mines are very useful in teamplay. If you camp
with your team on a certain place, you can cut off passages by placing
two or three trip mines. Don't place only one, because your opponent
will jump over it or crouch under it.
Trip Mines won't make a place unreachable, keep in mind that your
opponent can shoot the trip mines from distance. If you're standing to
close to it then, the large blast radius will hit you.
Trip Mines can't be really used like Snarks, grenades or satchels. You
can't block off an enemy that is on your tail that easily. It takes some
time to place the trip mine and the enemy can easily avoid it.
You can also use this nice tactic: Place a trip mine on the ground by
looking down. Do this around a corner or so that your opponent will
not have the time to take it out. Then go to a safe distance and change
to the sniper mode (with the magnum or the crossbow). When an enemy
comes around the corner, shoot the base of the trip mine and your
opponent will be dead without knowing what happened.
4.12 Satchel Charges
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Primary Fire: Throw one satchel
Secondary Fire: Throw more satchels
Firing Rate: none
Damage: 100% (direct hit)
Shots before reloading: none
Maximum Ammo: 5
Which Enemies attack with it ? Marines & Big Monsters
Singleplayer
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Trip mines can be used to take out sniper babes, marines or bigger
monsters. Simply throw one around the corner and detonate it at once. It
is just like throwing the grenade, there will only be a little more
time before the satchel explodes, because it takes some time to press
the button then.
You can also drop a satchel, go look for a marine (you can shoot with
another weapon) and let him follow you. Then switch back to the satchel
detonator as the marine approaches the satchel and gib him !
Multiplayer
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For some satchel techniques, go to the advanced tactics section.
Although it's a great weapon, many players (actually losers) put one on
camper spots for easy frags. Report this to other players to get rid of
such cheap players.
4.13 Grenades
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Primary Fire: Throw one
Secondary Fire: None
Firing Rate: 2 per second
Damage: 100% (direct hit)
Shots before reloading: none
Maximum Ammo: 10
Which Enemies attack with it ? Marines & Big Monsters
Singleplayer
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In Singleplayer, use the grenades just like satchels to take out marines
and sniper babes. The advantage of grenades is that you can throw them
over walls. Pull the pin, count three seconds and throw the grenade. It
will explode at once then and the marine will not have the chance to
avoid it or to run away. They often use this tactic too.
Multiplayer
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If you hear footsteps on the other side of a wall, you might consider
throwing a grenade. Always count to three before throwing it, because
one can easily avoid it otherwise.
Grenades can also be used to get rid of chasing enemies. Look down while
running and throw the grenade at once (don't count to 3). You have a
fair chance then that your opponent hasn't seen the grenade and will be
popped.
If you look a bit up while throwing a grenade and you even run a bit,
you can throw the grenade a lot further than normally. This can be very
useful to kill someone placed on a platform above you.
4.14 Snarks
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Primary Fire: Throw one
Secondary Fire: Faster Throwing
Throwing Rate: 4 per second
Damage: 10% per bite, 20% exploding damage
Shots before reloading: none
Maximum Ammo: 15
Which Enemies attack with it ? Marines & Sniper Babes
Singleplayer
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In Singleplayer, snarks are not so useful. You can throw them at marines
and maybe one gets killed. The marines often shoot it at once, so you
might consider throwing them as a sneaky tactic to take them out.
Multiplayer
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Probably the most annoying weapon in the game. If you throw lots of
these creatures, they can do serious damage: 10% per bite (20% if they
explode, normally after 20 seconds). To achieve this, throw lots of them
it's quite difficult to handle 10 snarks jumping around and biting you.
Make sure you throw them from a higher place, because when they don't
see an enemy or hit a wall with a snark, they can return and attack you!
You should always be prepared to this. If this might happen, use your
hive hand to take them out one by one, because the hive hand will track
them. If you run away, they won't be able to reach you either as long as
you don't stand still. Just run until your hear the explosion sound.
This is a very good weapon to be used on a chasing enemy. Drop a few
and make sure they don't attack you. You can flee now while the snarks
distract your opponent or you can attack your opponent. If you throw
lots of snarks, make sure to get out of there when he's killed, because
the snarks will be looking for a new victim then!
4.15 Long Jump Module
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Hitting Rate: none
Damage: none
Shots before reloading: none
Maximum Ammo: none
Where to use it ? Multiplayer, Xen, Gonarch's Lair, Interloper, Nihilanth
Singleplayer
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The Long Jump Module is an item that will give you the ability to jump
further using a special combination of keys. In order to perform these
long jumps, you should first find the long jump module. You'll get this
item from the scientists before leaving for Xen, very far in the game
already.
The Long Jump is maybe quite tricky to master, but when you get the hang
of it, you'll be long jumping all around the levels. To perform the long
jump, press "Crouch" and then "Jump" quickly in succession. This may
seem to be difficult, but you should practice this jump in the hazard
course, because you'll going to need it anyway.
If you really can do it, you can use the aliases to bind the long jump
to one single key (B):
alias +ljm "+duck; wait; +jump;"
alias -ljm "-duck; wait; -jump"
bind b +ljm
Multiplayer
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You may seem have noticed that you can't move as fast as in Quake and
other games. That's the main reason to search for the Long Jump Module
as fast as you can.
It won't give you the ability of moving faster in all directions, you
will only able to jump further (only forward). This will help you to
escape quicker from certain areas and get everyone from your tail. It
also helps in crossing platforms faster.
I always try to get the module as fast as I can, because I feel much
more comfortable having one, especially in open levels with people
dragging egon guns, the module is very welcome.
________
V Cheats
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5.1 Console cheats (1)
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Go to Windows Explorer. Right click on the hl.exe file (from Half Life).
Select "create shortcut". Right click on the shortcut. Select
"properties". Go to the Tab "shortcut" (if not selected already). Go to
the line that reads "target". There add -console behind hl.exe. It will
look similar to this now:
"hl.exe" -console
Start the game with the shortcut. From then on, you access the console
using the ~ (the key above Tab and below Esc). The following commands are
available in the console then:
impulse 101 : All weapons & Ammo
/god : God Mode
/god 0 : Disable God Mode
/noclip : No clipping Mode & Fly Mode
/map xxxx : go to map xxxx.
If you want to cheat in a multiplayer games, just let the server type
sv_cheats 1 before launching the server and you can cheat. On 99% of the
servers, this isn't enabled.
5.2 Console cheats (2)
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Go to Windows Explorer. Right click on the hl.exe file (from Half Life).
Select "create shortcut". Right click on the shortcut. Select
"properties". Go to the Tab "shortcut" (if not selected already). Go to
the line that reads "target". There add -dev -console behind hl.exe. It
will look similar to this now:
"hl.exe" -dev -console
Start the game with the shortcut. From then on, you access the console
using the ~ (the key above Tab and below Esc). The following commands are
available in the console then:
/GIVE xxxx : give item xxxx.
The following items are available too:
item_airtank ; item_antidote ; item_battery; item_healthkit ;
item_longjump ; item_security ; item_sodacan ; item_suitammo_357 ;
ammo_9mmAR ; ammo_9mmbox; ammo_9mmclip ; ammo_ARgrenades ;
ammo_buckshot ; ammo_crossbow ; ammo_egonclip ; ammo_gaussclip ;
ammo_glockclip ; ammo_mp5clip ; ammo_mp5grenades ;
ammo_rpgclipweapon_357 ; weapon_9mmAR ;
weapon_9mmhandgunweapon_crossbow ; weapon_crowbar ; weapon_egon ;
weapon_gauss ; weapon_glock ; weapon_handgrenadeweapon_hornetgun ;
weapon_mp5 ; weapon_pythonweapon_rpg ; weapon_satchel ;
weapon_shotgunweapon_snark ; weapon_tripmine
Use the first parameter to start halflife, then go into the console and
enter /map xxx (where xxx represents one of the maps below)
Single Player
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c0a0 ; c0a0a ; c0a0b ; c0a0c ; c0a0d; c0a0e ; c1a0 ; c1a0a ; c1a0b ;
c1a0c ; c1a0d ; c1a0e ; c1a1 ; c1a1a ; c1a1b; c1a1c ; c1a1d ; c1a1f ;
c1a2 ; c1a2a ; c1a2b ; c1a2c ; c1a2d ; c1a3 ; c1a3a; c1a3b ; c1a3c ;
c1a3d ; c1a4 ; c1a4b ; c1a4d ; c1a4e ; c1a4f ; c1a4g ; c1a4i; c1a4j ;
c1a4k ; c2a1 ; c2a1a ; c2a1b ; c2a2 ; c2a2a ; c2a2b1 ; c2a2b2 ; c2a2c;
c2a2d ; c2a2e ; c2a2f ; c2a2g ; c2a2h ; c2a3 ; c2a3a ; c2a3b ; c2a3c ;
c2a3d; c2a3e ; c2a4 ; c2a4a ; c2a4b ; c2a4c ; c2a4d ; c2a4e ; c2a4f ;
c2a4g ; c2a5; c2a5a ; c2a5b ; c2a5c ; c2a5d ; c2a5e ; c2a5f ; c2a5g ;
c2a5w ; c2a5x ; c3a1; c3a1a ; c3a1b ; c3a2 ; c3a2a ; c3a2b ; c3a2c ;
c3a2d ; c3a2e ; c3a2f ; c4a1; c4a1a ; c4a1b ; c4a1c ; c4a1d ; c4a1e ;
c4a1f ; c4a2 ; c4a2a ; c4a2b ; c4a3 ; c5a1
Multiplayer/Deathmatch
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boot_camp ; bounce ; datacore ; lambda_bunker ; snark_pit ; stalkyard ;
subtransit ; undertow
Hazard Course
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t0a0 ; t0a0a ; t0a0b ; t0a0b1 ; t0a0b2 ; t0a0c ; t0a0d
5.3 Command Line Parameters
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-console: enables the console. To access it, press the ~ (the key above
Tab and below Esc) while playing.
-dev: developer's mode. Enables the console and displays debugging
information while playing. Useful if you're having technical
difficulties and want to find out why.
-heapsize x: tells Half-Life how much RAM (memory) it can use. For
example, if you want it to use 32Mb of RAM then enter the
parameter "-heapsize 32768". CAUTION! Do not request more
memory than your computer has.
-nointro: skip the introduction movies.
-noip: removes the D.U.N. box for playing on LAN's (local area networks.)
Remove this command whenever playing on the internet. If you don't
you won't be able to play on-line.
-noipx: use this if you receive an IPX error when playing on a LAN.
-numericping: replaces the Half-Life server browser's "green dot" latency
info with real numbers. Only available in v1.0.0.8 or later.
-startwindowed: start Half-Life in window instead of fullscreen.
-wavonly: disables Direct Sound and plays SFX in wav files. Try this if
your sound card stutters or you don't have DirectSound drivers.
5.4 Easter eggs & tricks
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* If you're low on health, dive into the nearest safe water (not toxic
waste) and stay submerged until the O2 warning flashes. Immediately
surface and you'll gain 10-15 health.
* Get to the section "Surface Tension". Get to the room below the room
that is riddled with laser trip mines. Run partway out the door into the
corridor, until you hear the security guard start yelling (he's being
chased by Marines). Duck back behind the entrance to the corridor
(basically hide beside the opening). As the guard runs past you, you may
hear him say "Hey Vern!", like that idiot from the Earnest Goes to...
movies.
* Whenever you see a trash can, blow it up using any weapon. Then look at
the trash. There is a copy of the newspaper The Onion. The Onion is a
satirical newspaper on the web
* When you enter the labo, you can see that a guard get stuck on his
computer, with a beautiful blue death screen! Do they work with
Windows ? :)
* This cheat will allow you to use the zoom function with all weapons.
Having zoomed in with the crossbow, quick-save using the F6 key. Load
the game with F7 and no matter which weapon you change to, the view
will stay zoomed-in.
Note: to get the normal view back, switch to the crossbow and un-zoom
it.
* At the beginning in the locker room look at all the names on the lockers
They are the second names of some of the people who worked on Half-Life.
Also on the Office Complex level outside the room with the electrified
water there is a sign saying Dr. Newell. This is referring to Gabe
Newell, the creator of Half-Life.
* In the first level,where you enter the Anomalous Materials lab and put
on the HEV suit, go to the locker room. Open Gordon's locker (it has the
name Freeman on the front) and look closely at the books on the shelf.
One is a novel by Marc Laidlaw, who wrote the plot for Half-Life. I
think Laidlaw's last name is also on a locker, but I'm not sure.
* About a third of the way through the "On a Rail" segement. I don't think
I can accurately describe where it is exactly so any help would be
appreciated. (you can get there by typing /map c2a2c). Anyway, there is
a place where you can go under a ramp that goes to an upper level, break
a box and a grate and drop down into a vent shaft. Follow it and
eventually come to an army grunt body there seems to be a piece of
machinery or somethng with short dead-end halls on each side of it.
(There may be some head-crabs here, so watch it.) On the left side
(closest to where you entered) aginst the back wall there seems to be
writing in 3D letters on the wall. Look carefully it is very hard to
see. It says "RILLER". Dave Riller is a level designer at Valve. It
helps to see the message if you lob a few grenades or sachel-charges
into the alcove to blacken the texture of the wall so it stands out when
viewed at an angle
* First of all, this only works for weapons with slow reload times, like
the magnum and the tranquilliser crossbow. Upon running out of ammo in
your clip, you will begin to reload your weapon. If you want to fire
faster, simply changes your weapon while in the reloading animation, and
then switch back to the weapon you want to use, and reloading will be
complete.
* To find this egg in the uplink demo, you must reach the section of
Uplink in which you have just entered the Lambda reactor complex through
the large doors. Go to the end of the room with the exploding computers,
to where the two dog-like aliens are hiding. After you have killed them
and you have entered the air duct at ground level, turn on your
flashlight and look closely at the textures inside the air duct. You
will see the word 'Valve' several times faintly on the side (Valve are
the developers of Half-Life).
* Recently, there was a cheat discovered that allowed you to shoot
through walls on EVERY server. Luckily, this has been resolved with
the latest patch.
_________
VI Author
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Just in case you think you already saw my name somewhere else (what an
excuse to do some self promotion! :) )
Author: Stijn Bolle
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Guides written:
* Aliens vs. Predator (walkthrough\guide)
* Baldur's Gate (secrets)
* Discworld (walkthrough)
* Half Life (multiplayer guide)
* Half Life: opposing force (guide\walkthrough)
* Half Life: opposing force (dutch translation)
* Lands of Lore 3 (guide\walkthrough)
* Monkey Island III (walkthrough)
________________
VII Legal Notice
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None of this file may be copied or reproduced without the explicit
permission of the author. This guide may be added freely to any guides
collection site as long as you mail you the url, you don't alter anything
and you give me full credit. If you're not sure, just mail me on
[email protected]
