Half-Life
Template:Infobox The Steam-version of Half-Life is perhaps the easiest to obtain and play but the retail version also runs quite well on modern computers. Two expansions are available titled "Half-Life: Blue Shift" and "Half-Life: Opposing Force" which run under the same engine.
Patches
Latest official patch. Adds bug-fixes, new game-options as well as new game-modes.
Severe System Crippling and Data Destroying Uninstall Bug
The CD version of Half Life includes "Sierra Utilities" as part of the installation process. DO NOT USE THE UNINSTALLER TO REMOVE IT. Sierra Utilities uninstaller is poorly written and will delete everything in the parent directory. For example, if the game is installed to "C:\games\half life", all data in the "c:\games" folder will be deleted. Reports on various forums indicate users have had their entire system critical Program Files subfolders deleted (do a search for "uninstall sierra utilities"). This happens even with the latest 1.1 patch (tested on Windows 7 64-bit). Leave Sierra Utilities alone or consider deleting it manually instead of using the uninstaller.
Graphical Tweaks
You have multiple options to gain access to higher definition models. One is using the official version of them. For other options follow this guide.
Higher resolutions
To run the non-Steam version of Half Life in higher resolutions the hl.exe must be modified. Open it with a hex-editor such as XVI32. Search for this string: 20 03 00 00 58 02 00 00 which represents a 800x600 resolution. Now modify it like this:
1024x 600 - Replace 20 03 with 00 04 and replace 58 02 with 58 02 1280x 720 - Replace 20 03 with 00 05 and replace 58 02 with D0 02 1280x 800 - Replace 20 03 with 00 05 and replace 58 02 with 20 03 1366x 768 - Replace 20 03 with 56 05 and replace 58 02 with 00 03 1440x 900 - Replace 20 03 with A0 05 and replace 58 02 with 84 03 1600x 900 - Replace 20 03 with 40 06 and replace 58 02 with 84 03 1680x1050 - Replace 20 03 with 90 06 and replace 58 02 with 1A 04 1920x1080 - Replace 20 03 with 80 07 and replace 58 02 with 38 04 1920x1200 - Replace 20 03 with 80 07 and replace 58 02 with B0 04
Save the file and then go to the game. Pick 800x600 under OpenGL (Direct3D won't work).
Also, see below for FoV-adjustment.
Field of view
When running at widescreen-resolutions adjusting the fov is probably necessary. While in game, push the "~" Key, which opens the developer console. Then simply type default_fov 106.270273206 and push enter.
Alternatively you can also open config.cfg located in
Sierra\Half-Life\Valve\
And add the following to the bottom of it for 16:10 resolutions:
default_fov 100.39487232
For 16:9:
default_fov 106.270273206
If the new fov doesn't stick try creating an autoexec.cfg-file in the same folder and adding the line to it.
This also works for Opposing Force and Blue Shift.
V-Sync
Game is locked at 72 FPS by default. To change this open config.cfg and change the line fps_max "72.0". Note though that 100 seems to be the max value.
Enabling Developer Mode
Enabling developer mode will allow you to use in-game cheats and various console commands.
- Right click Half-Life in your Steam library and open "Properties"
- Open "Set Launch Options"
- Type in -dev
- Run Half-Life. Developer mode is now enabled. You can use the console command sv_cheats 1 to allow the usage of console commands such as god and noclip. Note that you might have to reload a save-game after enabling cheat-mode for certain commands to work.