Increasing the Challenge in Half-Life 2

[Cyan Leader]

I can't remember how many times I finished up Half-Life 2, and each time I run trough it gets easier.

Well, it is still very enjoyable but I wanted to test some special stuff. I was playing trough Nova Prospeckt and said to myself.. "What if I didn't had Antlions along with me?"

So then I come here ask if there is a way to turn off the Antilon AI or its map scripts. If there is so, please tell me.

Oh, and don't tell me to don't use Pheropods because the Antlions still go around and kill enemies nerby.

 

[Link]

Without creating a "mini mod", the only thing I can suggest is turning on cheats, and no clipping past the point you get the pheropods. Bear in mind, the ant lions may attack you, so be ready for that

 

[Glenn the Great]

I wonder if the antlion AI checks to see if you have the pheropods to determine whether to be friendly/aggro, or if the Nova Prospekt levels use a different AI so that it won't make a difference whether or not you have them. Tell us when you find out, Cyan.

 

[Langolier]

If you want to increase the difficulty just create a file (and hot-key it) that sets the NPC's damage values to equal that of hte players. I do that all the time and it winds up making it so you only have marginally more health than a combine soldier. They really cut you to pieces fast.

 

[ShadowJustice]

I wonder if the antlion AI checks to see if you have the pheropods to determine whether to be friendly/aggro, or if the Nova Prospekt levels use a different AI so that it won't make a difference whether or not you have them. Tell us when you find out, Cyan.

No, the antlions still follow you even if you noclip past the vortigaunt camp sequence (like people with the pirated versions have to... ps: Personally I bought every ****ing hl singleplayer game ORIGINAL, even the ps2 version)

 

[99.vikram]

Increase the Combine HP to see how the AI really mauls you

 

[Reginald]

The Antlions past the Vort camp use different AI. That is why you can't jsut control spawned Antlions at will. :thumbs: Good luck.

 

[ShadowJustice]

Increase the Combine HP to see how the AI really mauls you

Increasing the hp of the enemies? I think hl2's weapons are enough weak as they are .

Anyway, to stay on topic, I like playing the hl games without ever getting hit (If I am, I quickload). It's not very hard, actually, but the game becomes more credible and immersive* (at least for me) and some parts are quite fun (for example the parts in hl episode one with the antlions, the holes and the cars) .

*I think it's more immersive because I prefer to think Gordon Freeman as a person with extremely quick thoughts and reflexes, instead of a man who has a godlike pain tolerance. But I still think of Gordon Freeman as some kind of superhero.

 

[Beerdude26]

Well, one guy indeed did this (go through HL2 without receiving damage). He had to do the entire coast on foot, because when they drop the buggy, you take like 3 damage.

Just stay close to the water and you'll be fine

 

[ShadowJustice]

Well, one guy indeed did this (go through HL2 without receiving damage). He had to do the entire coast on foot, because when they drop the buggy, you take like 3 damage.

Just stay close to the water and you'll be fine

Actually, I only quickload if I get hit. Not if I receive damage.

 

[A True Canadian]

This thread has inspired me to see if I can go through the whole game only using the following weapons: crowbar, gravity gun, pheropods, and rockets/grenades.

I wonder if it's possible?

 

[The Kaiser]

^ I was going to suggest just that... D=

It could be possible. Since those are the only weapons you really need to beat the game. All the other ones are just there for show and tell =D .

 

[A True Canadian]

Originally I didn't want to include rockets, but I have a feeling certain sections (the roof of the Nexus, and the Lighthouse) wouldn't let you proceed until the Gunships were destroyed.


I thought the part where you are defending Alyx while she opens the gate would be impossible, but in theory you can use your pheropods to stall the troops while you quickly whack them with the crowbar. Either that or keep using the same projectile via the Manipulator over and over again.

...I think I'll start this on easy.

 

[Flyingdebris]

you could play the latest version of SMOD. 3.9 i think

instead of constantly respawning antlions during the beach attack prior to nova prospekt, you only get 2 antlions with lots of hitpoints. If you want to go solo, just throw a pheropod into the water and watch them fail at swimming.

Me I play smod running on crazy amounts of tweakage. Presently If i am caught out in the open by combine, i become dead in mere seconds even if i had 100/100. You end up forced to play smart and use cover.

I found out very quickly that the downside of this is that Alyx dies alot with my damage values set so high. Tweaking her gun to have uber damage is probably the best way of balancing things.

 

[Snappel328]

I remember seeing a speedrun where the guy seemed to just bypass the vort camp. he just sped right on through somehow. I think he was using the old box jumping glitch to get around the things he needed to use antlions for.

 

[Termite]

Try to play the whole game ov Half-Life 2 using only the crowbar.
(With exeption of gunships, striders, exc.)

 

[Lawnmower233]

Could you guys tell me how to alter the npc's hp? I'd really appreciate it. Does it involve any C++ coding or just text file editing/ent_commands? I dunno . I'd love to know. I really wanted to make everything super tough so it seemed real.

 

[99.vikram]

Could you guys tell me how to alter the npc's hp?

Create an autoexec.cfg file.
Choose the commands from the following that you want.
Change the numbers as required.

 

[Cyan Leader]

Thanks for the suggestion guys, although I didn't got an awnser for the Antlions, there is still a lot of things I can try.

 

[Flyingdebris]

don't forget this

http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Half_Life_2_Client_Console_Commands

pretty much anything you need to know about tweaking. if ever you want something changed, look it up at the link i posted, then copy paste the command into an autoexec or your skill.cfg and change the number

For whatever reason due to lack of cvars, there doesn't seem to be any way of changing the damage for the strider's machinegun, the damage from the fast zombies, and the health for the combine elites

 

[Max]I[muS-X]

There is no known way to get through the game without the gravity gun. You need it to lower the forcefield in c17_10b, where you grab the orbs out of the tubes with the gravgun. I think you also need it to kill Dr. Breen, not sure though.

As for skipping the crowbar, we do this in HL2DQ ;P

 

[Beerdude26]

There is no known way to get through the game without the gravity gun. You need it to lower the forcefield in c17_10b, where you grab the orbs out of the tubes with the gravgun. I think you also need it to kill Dr. Breen, not sure though.

As for skipping the crowbar, we do this in HL2DQ ;P

Oh, you're Max]I[muS-X! Cool run in HL2DQ! You and the other guys are plain mad. Never thought that it was possible to finish HL2 so quick
I especially liked the exploit where you could use a prop to fly up into the air. Wicked video man

 

[delusional]

i actually beat all of half life 2 only using a crowbar and the grenades, rpg and gravity gun when
you had too a long time ago
theres some places where i was dying reloading dying reloading on and on until i got past certain areas
one strategy i used was carrying a barrel to deflect bullets then pulling out my crowbar to stab
the soldier to bloody death but i managed to beat the game on easy and the easy parts on hard for more of a challenge

 

[Flyingdebris]

I must reiterate, increase and equalize all weapon damage. Up the health for most npcs. Lower it for allies. Increase the damage from headshots, lower it for leg/arm shots. Increase the radius and damage of nades. Make enemy combine orbs 1 shot kills against you. Decrease the shooting angle of the choppers from 22 degrees to 2 and up their burstcount and damage including the mines. Up the damage for gunships to 15. Make apc rockets 1 shot kills. And generally try to make everything as dangerous as possible. Then run all of this in the latest SMOD. Lower the mag capacity of the mp7, increase mag capacity for the pulse rifle, and increase ammo capacity for the magnum, shotty, and pusle rifle. And finally make snipers 1 shot kills.

If you are a hardass player that enjoys a solid challenge, running around with very little HP, and dying for your mistakes, you will not want to play hl2 any other way.

Also the latest smod has you race an angry apc in water hazard while being chased by the chopper as well as a part where your airboat gets stolen, you have to use a buggy, and when it eventually becomes waterlogged you have to go on foot. It also adds snipers to various parts of the game. And if running a certain exec file included in the mod, it adds several types of combine including fast elites that can jump around, beefed up red and blue versions of combine, and all of the above have a chance of carrying portable shields.

 

[99.vikram]

That's not a challenge, that's suicide :x

 

[Flyingdebris]

i've beaten the game twice will all this stuff on, going for my third try, the fact that bullet time actually slows projectiles in this mod means that you dance around enemy shots for as long as your energy lasts.

PS. the smod also adds stalkers, friendly combine or rebels in full combine armor (they have lambdas painted over their insignia) Iron sights, and a whole bunch of new weapons that are hidden throughout the game such as the alyx gun or the SVD, as well as a new blood/gib system. You can now see blood floating in the water and bloody chunks raining from the ceiling after a particularly messy explosion.

 

[The Brick]

Try what I did and take Dog's ball with you as far into the game as you can. It dies from explosions and (deep) water. Do note that there is a way to get through the swimming part in the mines. Most of the time there are annoying clipbrushes that only affect Dog's ball, but they are all avoidable.

I can't remember where I had to leave it behind, but I couldn't take it to the very end. Heh, I'm gonna try this challenge again

 

[Temppe]

What about playing Highway 17 and Sandtraps on foot? It takes ages, but its fun trying to outrun the antlions. Even more fun is trying to get across massive gaps where normally you can use a ramp. I've only ever done this once, and I forget if it was on normal or hard difficulty.