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Half-Life 2

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 cover
Developers
Valve Corporation
Publishers
Sierra Entertainment
Valve Corporation
Engines
Source
Release dates
Windows November 16, 2004
macOS (OS X) May 26, 2010
Linux May 9, 2013
Half-Life 2 guide on StrategyWiki
Half-Life 2 on Wikipedia

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
Half-Life mods and fangames (series)
Half-Life 1998
Half-Life: Opposing Force 1999
Half-Life: Blue Shift 2001
Codename: Gordon 2004
Half-Life: Source 2004
Half-Life 2 2004
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch 2004
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast 2005
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source 2006
Half-Life 2: Episode One 2006
Half-Life 2: Episode Two 2007
Portal (series)
Half-Life: Decay (unofficial port) 2008
Half-Life: Alyx 2020

Key points

Installing the Update mod is recommended to fix numerous bugs introduced by the 2009 Orange Box update.
Numerous mods are available for the game, including new levels and completely new game modes.

General information

GitHub Issue Tracker for Linux bugs in Half-Life 2 and other Source-based games
Unofficial Half-Life Wiki
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Soundtrack is available for free here.
All versions require Steam DRM.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Use -novid command line argument[1]

Enabling the console

A list of console commands can be found here.
Command line[1]
  1. See Command line arguments.
  2. Use -console then in the console write bind F2 "toggleconsole"

Notes

You can replace F2 with any key you have.
Options menu[1]
  1. Go to Options, select the Keyboard tab and click on Advanced.
  2. Check Enable the developer console and open the console by using ~.

Mods

An extra list of mods can be found here.
To view the most-rated mods, click here.

Half-Life 2: Update

An unofficial update that fixes bugs, improves the lighting, draw distance and adds new effects among others.

Half-Life 2: Survivor

An unofficial port of the Japanese arcade version.
This mod does not require Steam in order to run, but it requires you to use old files from Source SDK Base 2006. Click at the link above for more info.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Steam <path-to-game>/hl2/cfg/
It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location

System Location
Steam <path-to-game>/hl2/save/

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game general video settings.
In-game general video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.

Template:Video settings

Borderless fullscreen windowed

Instructions[1]
  1. See Command line arguments.
  2. Use -window -noborder

Notes

For the Oculus Rift, set vr_force_windowed 1 in the developer console.

Input settings

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse/gamepad settings.
In-game mouse/gamepad settings.

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Original localization by SDL here
Spanish
Swedish
No explicit setting. Steam client has to be in Swedish.
Thai

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
32 Users will need to open the developer console and type "maxplayers 4; sv_lan 1" and "map d1_trainstation_01" in the console. Do note that the game will not load an autosave, but you and your partner will respawn instead.
Online play
10 Use Synergy.

Connection types

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
See also Helix Mod: Half Life 2:Update.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
Headsets
SteamVR
This game might be playable with the Revive Compatibility Layer (compatibility list).
Oculus VR (LibOVR)
Available under Video Settings. See the Oculus Rift forums for further instructions.
Windows Mixed Reality
This game might be playable with the Revive Compatibility Layer.
Devices
Tracked motion controllers
Traditional controller
Keyboard/Mouse
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon

Issues fixed

Windows

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for fixing issues in this game which can be found here.

Purple and black textures

See missing textures.

No lighting after Black Mesa East

Activate the High Dynamic Range in the Advanced Video Options[citation needed]

Stuck in Black Mesa East

Walk into the elevator, Quick Save F6, then Quick Load F9.

Not enough space on disk (retail)

Copy the files[1]
  • Copy all the files from the disc to a new folder, then run setup.exe

Available memory less than 128 MB

Setting the compatibility mode[1]
  1. See compatibility mode.
  2. Go to <path-to-game> and find hl2.exe
  3. Set the executable to run under the Windows XP (Service Pack 3) compatibility mode.

Half-Life 2 stuck on DirectX v8.0

Command line parameter[1]
  1. See Command line arguments.
  2. Use -dxlevel 95, start the game and configure the desired video settings.
  3. Remove the command line before starting the game again.

Notes

Not removing the command line will cause the game to set the options to their default values.

Cyrillic Font Issue in Linux

Cyrillic Font Issue in Linux[citation needed]

Find and remove the Helvetica font.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7, 8, 8.1, 9
OpenGL 2.1 OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support 1.x, 2, 3
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok Heavily modified variant.
Audio Miles Sound System
Cutscenes Bink Video Used for startup videos and in-game movies.

Launch options

A list of command lines can be found here and here.
Instructions[1]
  1. See Command line arguments.
  2. Enter your commands.

System requirements

Windows 98SE, ME, and 2000 were previously supported OSes for the game, but as future updates for this game and Steam occurred; the support for these OSes were dropped, even with retail copies.
Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
Processor (CPU) 1.7 GHz
System memory (RAM) 512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4.6 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce FX 5700
ATI Radeon 9500
128 MB of VRAM
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.5.8, 10.6.3
Processor (CPU) 1.7 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4.6 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8000 Series
ATI Radeon X1600
Intel HD 3000

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Verified by User:Suicide machine on August 11, 2016