Supplement : #Valve Half-Life Release Party

[GabeN] First off, I'd like to say how much everyone at Valve appreciates the support and enthusiasm Half-Life has received from the community. It's been a long two years, but we think we've built a game that will live up to people's expectations. On the news side, Sierra will shortly be announcing a program that lets people download the dedicated server and multiplayer client so people can start playing multiplayer Half-Life while they are waiting for the game to show up in stores. The goal of this will be to make sure there are a bunch of servers up and running when the game hits stores. Also, the International English version should be in production, which will be what gets sold in countries like Singapore, Norway, England, and so on. That should start showing up about 3 days after it arrives in stores in the US.

[Ma|ky] In a previous chat you mentioned that the player would be able to blow the head of a character leaving only the jaw and tongue left. Did this make it to the final game?

[HarryT] It was... disturbing
[Choryoth] it did not make it into the final game. It was just a neat test of the flexibility of the swapable model parts in half-life. instead of blown off heads, you have different kinds of heads - you can identify enemy soldiers by the masks they wear, their hats, etc.
[{UC}Narc] lol


[{UC}Narc] Will death animations have any relevence to the method/weapon used to make the kill?

[HarryT] there are different death animations according to hit location and the direction from which the player was hit. You no longer shoot someone in the foot and watch their head get knocked back
[{UC}Narc] heheh harry


[Borg[]] Are there new ways to customize multiplayer? For example, disabling certain weapons or powerups?

[Choryoth] sure, you can set all sorts of server variables. The defaults are set to what we think are fun, but if people don't want footsteps or falling damage, they can alter those.


[RocketMag] I've recieved this question many times in the past few minutes... Q: Are any forms of hit location damage or pain skins in the retail version of Half-Life?

[Choryoth] i'll take your question. Yes, we have specific animations for hit locations. There are specific flinches and specific deaths. monsters will fly forward/backwards depending on how they were shot. Try for a leg shot on a enemy grunt - watch him limp to cover or for backup!


[Ma|ky] Why were the decisions made to take out many of the things that were suppose to be in the game (chum toads, hw guys, etc)

[GabeN] There are a bunch of things in the game we've never talked about and some things were taken out. The main reason things were taken out is that they were lame.


[Borg[]] What is the final word on decals and being able to scan your face onto a character? What about uploadable skins?

[HarryT] skins have become more flexible and customizable actually, what you do is build a mdl file with whatever skins on it you want

[Choryoth] Skins? you can even have different meshes!


[|sNeAk|] Choryoth: A year ago in #idsoftware when we held the first valve irc interview, you were really excited about the underground trains ...liek to tell us some more?

[Choryoth] trains were the new technology at the time. We've gotten tons of things that became our favorite level designer toys since then. Dave Riller (a level designer here at Valve) build a very intricate underground train system. Firefights with the enemy as you drive by, controls you can use to switch tracks. It's something I expect the map community will fall in love with. That, and beam FX.


[RuNab0uT] how many models we can use in muliplay??

[GabeN] Right now we have multiplayer models for Gordon, Gina, human grunt, scientist in the game, plus a helmeted version of Gordon. We're going to be releasing other models through a variety of mechanisms. When you get a chance to check out "Too Much Coffee Man", you should do it.
[HarryT] Yes, we have a lot of models for people to play with, and implement on their own


[SvenVikng] [AgentOrng] sven could you ask em, What happened to the chum toads? and whay?

[HarryT] the monsters that got cut were no fun. you won't miss them
[GabeN] Harry's going to be releasing the Chum toad model, so if people want to build something with it, they can.


[Borg[]] Was the back clipping plane increased for Half-life's renderer?

[HarryT] Borg: the clip plane is customizable


[Ma|ky] Are the egon gun, zero point generator, and gauss gun all the same thing?

[Dario] The Egon and Gauss are two separate guns. The Egon fires a steady stream of energy that heats up and eventually pops things it's aimed at. The Gauss has a wind up period and when at maximumi power it shoots through walls, causing a large damage radius when it comes out the other side
[GabeN] Dario, please use the Gluon Gun/Tau cannon names or we are going to confuse the hell out of people.


[Avatar] I'd love to hear in detail about the serial # system, will that effect users using gamespy to find games?

[GabeN] The server program will be restricted to the first X people, where I'm not sure what X is. Each one will have a serial number, and people who keep their servers up will get stuff.


[Ma|ky] Could you tell how many tracks of music is on the CD? Do you use "cues" heavily like Unreal? Or do you rely alot more on ambient sounds.

[Onnatop] There are 27 music tracks on the CD, used for mood mostly. There are specific "theme" songs as well


[Goalie] How are servers going to be set up: like used in gamespy? or will it be an i76 type thing with a valve server people set up games on?

[Yahn] individuals can host there own serves. WON.net will also be hosting servers. our front end allows finding these servers and connectint to them. We will also work with the gamespy folks to ensure that their front end can be used (for you power user types)


[{UC}Narc] Have the rumors about players in multiplayer, redirecting other people's rockets with the laser correct?

[Choryoth] Sure, the laser designator on the rocket launcher can control a rocket - i've yet to see a coop team game use this as a skill, but i'm sure it's bound to happen.


[Ma|ky] Also, what are the customizability options for Multi, (like with powerups, weapons, and batteries)

[HarryT] We're creating a whole suite of materials that mod authors can play with, and use to create custom HL add-ons


[SvenVikng] [ME] Will you be able to paint more than one decal about the place in multiplayer (in the same game, without rejoining or anyrthing)

[Yahn] you are limited to a single decal during one game. You can disconnect, change decals and rejoin...
[Dario] Decals can be sprayed ever time you kill someone
[Jay_SM200] The server can also set a timelimit for decals, so you could have a "painters" server that let people spray and spary...


[UrbaNomad] Can you change your skin in multiplayer, or is every player model restricted to one skin?

[Choryoth] You can have one skin per mesh, and have a full palette of colors to choose for colors specified as top/bottom.


[RocketMag] I've heard that Half-Life levels are sometimes on the medium-to-small size. Will deathmatch maps be significantly larger than the singleplayer ones?

[HarryT] DM maps are sized for number of players and ping. Dario just finished a small map for 2-4 players with high pings. we have other maps that accomodate 16+ folks easily
[GabeN] There's a lot of variation in multiplayer levels. Dario did a quite large level called bootcamp which holds a ton of people, and he's finishing up a new 1:1 level. The goal is to ahve a good set of maps for a wide variety of gameplay and connection types. There are maps for hpbs and lpbs.
[HarryT] We want everyone to have as god an online experience as possible


[Jovian] GabeN: you said he's finishing up a map...does that mean you will be putting up maps for download?

[HarryT] try stopping Dario from making maps
[Jay_SM200] We will be releasing new content for multiplay, including Dario's new map.


[Ma|ky] Are textures included in the maps like Quake1 or are then separate in a wad or what? Explain why you did this...

[Choryoth] You can do both. Textures in half-life BSPs can be stored in the .BSP file, or you can specify that the textures are to be loaded from the .WAD. This is but one of the great enhancements made to the half-life tool set.
[Onnatop] Textures are in a separate .wad file. All textures for a map are loaded dynamically from the wad file, to save space


[Borg[]] *[bombadil] Will half-life be 3dnow optimized? also how does TNT shape up with halflife?*

[GabeN] TNT is a very good card for Half-Life. We are working with AMD, but don't have anything to announce at this time.
[Dario] Borg - I use a TNT and run the game at 1024*768 - I get about 60fps


[{UC}Narc] I heard that walls may grow mossy. do any other things like that happen to show that time has passed

[GabeN] I personally build large piles of Greg's skull to show that time has passed.


[Enon`] GabeN: Will there be a different release date for HaLF-LIFE in Canada, as opposed to the Rel. Date in the US?

[GabeN] It should be the same in US and Canada. Basically as fast as the replicators can build it.


[Ma|ky] Does the weapons aim still change alot depending on your movement?

[LintODeth] aim is affected by the player's movement... crouching aims better, running worse, etc


[}Dann{] Can a model be imported into a map via Worldcraft or will it need some coding to accompany it?

[HarryT] Dann: depends on the model


[PhishHed] How long do you get to stay in Xen? Same as on earth or more?

[Choryoth] jovian: there is a lot you can do with the half-life toolset and worldcraft. we provide lots of tutorials with WC as well as a resource guide to what the entities do. After we ship, we'll release an SDK and a even some levels from the game to show how complicated entities can be strung together to do interesting things.


[Jovian] Valve Guys: when do you guys start having vacations?

[Choryoth] funny you should ask about vacations. ....
[Jovian] oh?
[Choryoth] my white butt is going to be burning to a crisp on the beach in a mere week.
[Yahn] we here at valve consider our jobs a vacation (....sarcasm...hehe)
[Dario] promise you'll wear lots of clothes on that beach!
[GabeN] We're all going to Mexico as of Sunday for a couple of days. Pretty terrifying thought, since all of us were indoors all summer. Choryoth is going to have to change his nick to "crispycritter."
[DRiller] more like "The Great White Streak"
[Choryoth] seen coocoon? those white creatures? that's me.
[Jay_SM200] Hanging out with other Valve folks on the beach will make me look much less pasty!


[AutoMag] I like the idea of being able to run multiplayer with the said download from Sierra, But will this not make it too easy for people to Not buy the game but play anyway. or is multiplayer going to be considered Free period? as asked earlier

[GabeN] it's a limited program, and there are serial numbers. We want to reward the Half-Life community and supporters, not give away multiplayer.


[{UC}Narc] Is HL gonna be CD music or Files like in SIN?

[Choryoth] it's all CD music. it's great stuff. Fun to listen to even when not in the game.
[HarryT] HL music is red book audio, off the CD
[Onnatop] HL uses CD music


[BowDown] When will more TF2 info be released...and when will the hype begin for it?

[LintODeth] TF2 info will be showing up in gaming magazines and www sites over the next couple of months, along with screenshots and map details


[|sNeAk|] gabe: what size installations will there be? and how about cd checking?
[|[Xp3rT]|] HL will ]require[ the CD for single play? True or False?

[Choryoth] you will need the CD to start the game. you will want the CD in the drive for single play because the music is groovy.
[GabeN] Yes, Half-Life requires the CD for single play. For multiplay it uses a serial number. The Warezing of the OEM made everybody cranky about copy protection stuff.
[LintODeth] HL:TF uses that multiplayer serial number as a means of identifying players... cheaters/spammers/teamkillers can be banned from servers based on that key, and it doesn't matter if they change names/ips, they'll stay banned
[RuNab0uT] so serials just identifies a player on the net??


[PhishHed] Are you aware that you guys will be financially safe for the rest of your natural lives after you release the game???

[GabeN] PhishHed - Actually having been at MS for a long time, Mike and I were doing OK already. The main reason we are doing this is because we really want to be building games. The money is nice, but it's really about what we get to do on a day to day basis and who we get to do it with more than anything. Of course Choryoth gets to buy a second T-shirt, which is a bonus for everyone (I'm not sure why I'm picking on John, instead of Dario, who could easily i


[tido14] Will the half-life (full) be different from the half-life (oem)

[GabeN] Yes, Day One is different in small ways from the opening of the full game.


[{UC}Narc] Does Half-Life has Client-Side firing?

[LintODeth] wherever we can, we move stuff to the client side to minimise network lag... but not all firing could be done client side of course


[Enon`] VALVe: Why the secretiveness around TF2, Would it not be more advantagous to release Logo's and specifications of TF2, Rather than wait? i ask this becuase there are Web sites out there (Namely mine. fortresstimes.) That would like to start providing information about TF2.

[LintODeth] The main reason behind the quietness of HL:TF is its new art direction... with the grunt of Valve's artists and modellers behind it, HL:TF has gone through some evolutions, mainly in its visuals which is the main reason we've been quiet on the screenshots... but the visuals are nailed now, and you'll begin to see more screenshots showing off some of the more interesting things we've done


[tido14] GABE : boxers or briefs?

[GabeN] Neither.


[Jovian] Did you guys do any multiplayer coding to optimize the netplay from the old engine?

[Yahn] we did a lot of stuff with the multiplayer code. Mostly to reduce bandwidth, optimize client side prediction, and make sure that the game is enjoyable to those with lesser (less than isdn) connections... which is most folks anyway


[PDC_Blitz] Ok, I'm gettin some more demands from various people about this one. They wanna know exactly what the server logs. :) Also, to beat this question to death which I am being flooded with... Can you spray-paint dead bodies?

[Jojie] hl:tf logs everything that happens in the game... where you should, who, how, when, whether you hit the guy in the head, leg, etc
[HarryT] Blitz: you can spray paint near the body, on the ground


[UrbaNomad] LintODeth: Will you be able to modify anything as far as models\skins go for TF2?

[LintODeth] urban: we're planning on allowing clans to customize their skins (clan emblems on the shoulderpads, etc), and of course, you've got clan decals


[f0deLurk] Da whole valve posse whos the champ at dm at Valve Software?

[Choryoth] I vote for Lint to be the king of Dm.
[Dario] I'm the champ at DM here, when I can use the secret rooms I put in my levels :)
[GabeN] Right now Lint of Death has been whipping on the rest of us, although the rest of us are starting to catch up again. Robin has to get TF out the door, so his advantage should disappear.
[Langsuyar] Dario: i take it that driller doesn't play HL dm, then :P
[|sNeAk|] ok, then who sucks the most at dm? ;)
[HarryT] I school them all!!!!
[Choryoth] Dario thinks he can put secrets into levels without us finding out. He must forget that we all have access to the map files.
[Jay_SM2k] Driller keeps wasting me when he's at home on the modem and I'm on the T1. But I'm getting better ... :)
[Dario] I can put secrets into parts of the map you'll never find Choryoth
[PDC_Blitz] I can imagine small "Dario only" areas in multiplayer maps, marked off by a small DCDM decal the size of a thumbnail. ;)
[Dario] they made me take most of them out :(


[tido14] is there a definate release date or is it just before this thanksgiving?

[GabeN] There isn't a clear street date, because we would have had to hold everything in order to have copies everywhere at the same time. It could be mid-next week for some stores.


[UrbaNomad] LintODeth: are you only able to change skins in TF2 then? Last Q on it, I swear :]

[LintODeth] we don't allow full skin changes on TF models, no. We have different models per class _per team_... the amount of work required to redo an entire team would be too much. The other problem is that you'd never be able to use them with other people... they wouldn't be able to tell which class is which. Some of the more interesting things you'll be seeing in TF are interactive vehicles used to deploy and mobilise troops... we use Bradley APC's, C130 Troop planes, Tanks, etc. We also place an emphasis on control and placement of heavier weaponry... controlling a certain machine gun nest might make or break your team in a map, getting your support artillery to covering positions, etc


[PhishHed] with the Serial # will this do what Blizzard did with there serial #? like gather Registration information.
[SvenVikng] Will the copy protection mean that a warezer can steal your serial, making things generally difficult for you? (as happened with Starcraft)?

[GabeN] -NNNNNNNNooooooooooo. No registry sniffing.
[Yahn] if you compromise your cd key, that is a problem you will have brought on yourself. However, we have ways of dealing with the situation such that legitimate users are not blocked
[SvenVikng] Yahn: With Starcraft though, people used key gens, which would often find serials from boxes that hadn't even been sold
[Yahn] sven, again, we have a contingency plan for that. it's prettty difficult to generate valid cd keys, actually


[PDC_Blitz] Once again, these people need details... Ugh. :) Exactly how many single and multi player levels have made it into the final?

[Choryoth] PDC_Blitz - there are over 100 BSPs in single play.


[Enon`] Reguarding Copy Protection, In Canada we have a legal right to make ONE Backup Copy of Any media we have.. will this "copy Protection" prevent us from creating a Backup copy of the Half-Life CD(s) ?

[GabeN] You can create a backup copy, no problem.


[DeAdWaStE] [DaRkWoLf_] have you guys tried HL over a modem yet and not guessing that it should run fine?

[HarryT] modem play is what we've been concetrating on most recently
[Yahn] deadwaste, we have bunches of folks who've been playing the game from home at night via modem. They seem to be having a good time.
[HarryT] It runs as well as QuakeWorld, which is not surprising as QW is what we used as a base.
[GabeN] Yes, HL runs on modems. 70% of people playing multiplayer are running on modems still (actually we were surprised to find out how many people had faster access).
[Onnatop] DaRkWoLf_: I play HL from home on a modem often, and we all tested it from home when we could. It runs as well, if not better and QuakeWorld


[|Groove|] Im just wondering (and pissing off everyone in the channel) what the load times will be on a pII450

[Onnatop] mere seconds
[GabeN] The load times? For a map? Right around a second.


[Enon`] [Mutilator] Will you implement some more 'realistic' physics features, like boxes actually rotates to match plane normals while on angled surfaces.

[Yahn] we have no current plans to alter they way boxes slide and fall.


[f0deLurk] GabeN: Did Half-Life make it to the visions you had planned? if not.. what didnt get put in the game that you would have wanted?

[GabeN] Half-Life is pretty much the game we wanted it to be. We were willing to take longer (obvious to everyone in this channel) but not compromise the game.


[{UC}Narc] Question: How big was your beer tab on the night HL went gold at your local bar?

[GabeN] We're actually saving it up for Mexico. Jay has promised to show us how someone from Louisiana really gets drunk.
[Tagus] And sunburned.
[Jovian] is it a whole team trip?
[GabeN] Yes, the company is going. A couple of people will be here to keep the company going and make sure no on sneaks in and steals all our computers, but most everybody will be getting drunk and sunburned.
[Dario] How big IS the beer tab going to be when we reach Cabo??
[Dario] Driller's flying us. he's an ace. Just dont ask Yahn to take you for a drive in his car....
[Yahn] the tires never left the pavement... never
[Tagus] Dario has no room to talk when it comes to driving.
[Yahn] Harry's art actually got better with less fingers... go figure


[SvenVikng] Why was Mr. Friendly taken out of the game?? He wasn't really evil, just misunderstood...

[GabeN] Mr. Friendly will be released by Harry.
[HarryT] Sven: Mr. Friendly is just waiting for someone out there to be his friend


[BowDown] Question: Will the commander class in TF2 have a minimap sort of thing like in RTS? Or something to easily help control squads?

[LintODeth] Bow: no... our maps are often too complex to be shown in 2 dimensions in a non-confusing way. the commander uses visual readouts to convey the information he needs. We'll be releasing screenshots showing this soon.


[RedJesus] will there be anything to do by yourself (singleplayer) in TF2?

[LintODeth] we have a singleplayer campaign aimed at introducing the classes and map-objectives to you


[|Groove|] [Champ-] what are the *real* min. specs for HL? The specs that mean I can run HL without beating my monitor in cause it's so slow?

[ph0s] beating your monitor would not improve Half-Life's performance.
[GabeN] It really is pretty comparable to Q2. We're still working out the best way to get


[Belgand] How will TF be handled? will it be launched from HL or seperate?

[GabeN] TF out to as many people as possible, and to make it as retailer friendly as possible. Once we know that for sure, we'll let people know. It may be possible that there is a stand-alone version, as well as another SKU that has the two products bundled together, as well as a way for people with Half-Life to get TF.


[RedJesus] am i going to be able to get TF2 for christmas or is it going to be longer?

[LintODeth] We won't be released before christmas. a MP-aimed title like TF requires extensive network testing, and we're not going to release it until we're certain its balanced


[SvenVikng] [SnipE] I've seen an add in a November 1997 PCGamer about Half life. And it said "Download the Demo Today" (??)

[GabeN] The person responsible for that ad has been sacked. And the moose, too.


[|sNeAk|] has sierra always been supportive of your decision to delay the game? the game slipped exactly a YEAR after its initial proposed release date

[GabeN] Yes. Half-Life will be the best selling title for Sierra ever, and they've recognized from the beginning that getting it right was more important than what quarter it was released in. Scott Lynch really deserves a lot of credit for that.
[HarryT] Sierra has been extremely supportive of Valve through all of the delays. Very little pressure on us at all. Why, it's been literally *days* since I saw Little Tony or Vinnie the Pick around the offices, asking about our progress


[{UC}Narc] How many days does HL take place in

[Onnatop] Half-Life takes place over the course of 4 days, divided into 4 "acts" with multiple chapters
[GabeN] 5 days, but it's kinda hard to tell.


[|sNeAk|] ok, half-life should eb in stores across norht america ny as early as next week ...when should europe, australia, asia, etc expect it?

[GabeN] International English is about 3 days behind the US. The translations are between 1-4 weeks behind the international English version.

[{UC}Narc] Are there day and night cycles?

[HarryT] there is day and night, but they don't dynamically change within the scene


[RocketMag] One last question until Narc starts spilling his guts... Is the Panthereye still in the game???

[HarryT] the panthereye is not in the game
[|sNeAk|] harry: darn, i thought the panthereye kicked ass
[RocketMag] What? No! THe panthereye was so damn evil! I can't believe you took it out. =(


[Borg[]] [*Nightmarz] I've heard that you can easily make your own models in 3d max 2 and align them to player movements, can you please fill us in with details on this?*

[HarryT] we will be providing folks with all the player model data, so you can build your own character model to skin onto the player skeleton


[RocketMag] So we can get our weeping out of the way, can you give us a complete list of all the monsters and enemies that were cut from HAlf-Life?

[HarryT] monsters in old screenshots aren't nearly so important as the cool monsters that are actually in the game. if a monster isn't in the game, it's because there's another monster that is far more interesting and fun from a gameplay point of view that is in there as a replacement.


[Ma|ky] *Parias* Q: Any advice for teens with plans to become millionare programmers?

[Choryoth] don't deliver pizza. Go to school. ;)
[Yahn] malky, become millionaires and then learn to program
[ph0s] Go to school.


[FinalThri] [[cM]Sid] Will there be sprite based animation any where in the game?

[Yahn] there are some sprites in the game, esp. animated ones. They actually are used to render some pretty cool effects.
[ChuckJ] Lot's of the special effects are sprite based.
[HarryT] It's especially fun combining sprites with our completely cool beam effects
[HarryT] beam effects rule
[|sNeAk|] i thought the explosions looked great. they're sprites but look much better than the polygons in quake2
[Brett_J] env_bean


[|Groove|] [BiShPoINs] will light entities be activatable in multiplayer?

[LintODeth] yep
[Brett_J] I dont understand the "activate" part of that question
[|Groove|] like light switches
[Ma|ky] are there dynamic lights in multi he means
[HarryT] you can have light switches in dm if you want
[Brett_J] sure, dynamic lights are fully functional in MP.
[Choryoth] do you mean switchable light styles? Sure. You can make lights turn off. Half-Life has dynamic and switchable lights.


[{UC}Narc] Is there any system of equilization in halflife for multiplayer games, so that ping is not an unfair advantage?

[ph0s] Robin will come to the houses of bad players, and take over for a couple hours at a time, and I will go to the houses of good players.
[HarryT] we've designed several weapons that help HPBs compete in a net game.
[Choryoth] THere are console variables that can simulate lag, so I guess that could be used to match ping times.
[Yahn] there is no current "penalty" for having a fast connection. We try to not put modem players on connections populated by lpbs, but you have to pick your servers with care, of course
[LintODeth] we've also got maps made which accomodate high ping players... smarter, more tactical players can rule them
[Choryoth] the nice thing is some of the weapons are made for internet latency. the magnum also has a 2X zoom. It's good for head shots.


[Belgand] how great a role will TF2 have on HL? do you expect it to take the palce of your (DM) mutli-play?

[LintODeth] TF is a different multiplayer experience than HL MP... they're two different games


[{UC}Narc] can light sources be destroyed?

[Brett_J] its very easy to make your lights destructible


[{UC}Narc] Is the blood effect(not on the wall)still the same as the OEM,I mean with only a few round red spots coming out of enemies

[Choryoth] the blood effects have changed since the OEM. So are the effects when the bullets strike surfaces. You'll see 'em soon.


[BowDown] Question: Is there a 2fort4 for TF2? ;)

[LintODeth] there is no port of 2fort. but, the gameplay of 2fort is too good to ignore.


[{UC}Narc] How "tight" is player control compared to Q1 or Q2??

[Yahn] Our feel is more like QW, we do not have the interpolation "control lag" that people perceive when playing Q2 (not that it's not related to mouse frequency at all.. sigh)


[|Groove|] [BiShPoINs] ive seen screenshots that have blood spurting out of enemies that get shot, is that still in?

[ChuckJ] It's VERY MESSY when enemies get shot :)
[HarryT] Half-Life has all your blood needs taken care of...


[}Dann{] Do decals wrap around models or do they only affect map brushes

[ChuckJ] decals don't spray on models but will spray on 99% of the environment
[Yahn] dann, decals are amazingly cool
[Brett_J] The decals are going to be great for leaving your mark in a level
[ChuckJ] Yes, the decals rock, nothing like looking at a level after a big fight! :)\
[Choryoth] you will not be able to decal models, but you can have a model for every member in the clan with personalized skins, tatoos, etc.
[HarryT] we also made it far easier to include your decal in the game than how it was initially planned out. If you read the tutorial at Wavelength, it was pretty complicated, but we've simplified it a great deal: paint a decal in greyscale, and put it in the logos directory. It shows up in your multiplayer configuration setup automagically.
[Choryoth] one of things that will be added to Team Fortress 2 is decals on models. You'll be able to add a clan logo to your model. As well as customize your 'spraypaint' decal.
[Brett_J] Someone here even used a Mr T decal once...looked awesome
[LintODeth] Dario used to have a custom decal that was just a picture of him... we all ran around machinegunning mustaches onto him
[HarryT] the rash of dario decals that swept through valve has mercifully subsided....
[Jay_SM2k] Yes. We were all sparying Dario's digitized face on the walls everywhere :)
[Onnatop] One time everyone in the game was spraying Dario's face all over a level


[{UC}Narc] Does Half-Life contain a (deathmatch)bot, like Unreal?

[Choryoth] Half-Life does not have a 'bot' but I personally have a lot more fun playing against the human grunts in the single player levels. grunts with grenade launchers, shotguns, and mp5s - they're pretty challenging. and they work together.
[LintODeth] Narc: bots are boring compared to fighting a squad or two of grunts


[|sNeAk|] jay: the decals must be monochrome right?

[ChuckJ] Decals must be greyscale in color
[ChuckJ] er, in color, I mean B&W :0\
[|sNeAk|] but you can then change the hue?
[Jay_SM2k] Yes, you can change the hue to a bunch of different colors...
[HarryT] you can make it appear in whatever color you want
[ChuckJ] when you say Hue, I think of color, which you can choose inside the game


[{UC}Narc] Will bindings be available for heavy control customization, or just through the control options menu?

[Yahn] ucnarc, power users can do more with bindings than we do in the menus. Key bindings that are done at the console are conserved in your settings, so all should be well


[{UC}Narc] How do the decals work? Do you downlaod them once and store them in a folder?

[HarryT] Narc: if someone joins a game with a custom decal, it downloads to you automatically (unless you don't want it to). If it does download, you have it for the next time you see them. They're really small, you can't notice a change in framerate at all


[|Groove|] [MeFFanE] DECALS!! now that ive got yer attention... If we need a serial for multiplayer, what if i want to play among friends(over a lan) and not over the internet? Is it like quake2? or do i have to run a dedicated server?

[Onnatop] If you are playing on a lan, the only requirement is a CD in the drive of 1 computer for every 5


[FinalThri] [[cM]Sev] Will decals stay in a server after you leave?

[Yahn] decals stay for a bit (in opengl, they disappear when you leave) in software
[Choryoth] Decals are persistent. They do not go away. If you leave a server, they remain.


[|sNeAk|] what if you join a game in progress? will the decals be there?

[ChuckJ] When you start a level it is clean, you start viewing decals from then on.


[RuNab0uT] if a user should see a customized decal, it should be like on every other persons on the server too??? like models in q2 should be on everyone could see it rather than the default?

[HarryT] if you choose not to download custom decals, you'll see a generic one when someone paints their custom one


[Nightmarz] How does one take over a rocket in mid-air? Do you just aim your launcher at it with the laser?

[Yahn] yes


[|sNeAk|] how big (file size) will the average decal be? also, up to how many pixels?

[ChuckJ] decals are 32x32, 64x64 which work the best for retaining details


[|sNeAk|] ok ...say you have a laser tip mine and you set it ...what if anotehr player is enar one, but a different player shoots the mine and it blows up ...who gets the kill? the guy who shot the mine or the person who set it?

[LintODeth] the guy who shot the mine, of course
[Choryoth] whoever sets it off first.
[HarryT] The guy who triggered the tripmine gets the kill
[Choryoth] it's a pretty common tactic to place a trip mine near a high traffic place, and use the glock rapid fire to take it out when someone is crouching to go past it.


[{UC}Narc] Are there going to be more responses from security guards/scientists I've heard that they are limitted to only 3or 4 phrases in the OEMAre there going to be more responses from security guards/scientists I've heard that they are limitted to only 3or 4 phrases in the OEM

[HarryT] our favorite thing about the game (well, one of our favorite things about the game) are all the conversations that guards and scientists can have amongst themselves. there are a ton of things they say.
[LintODeth] I once collected 5 guards and 4 scientists... they wouldn't shaddup
[Choryoth] The NPCs in the game have a pretty large vocabulary, in addition to custom sentences that certain NPCs have. There is a text file that half-life uses to construct the sentences, so for instance with grunts you can make them say YOU! ARE! DEAD! FREEMAN and they'll use that taunt when they see you. As far as the vocabulary goes, there are hundreds of individual words that can be strung together to form sentences.


[{UC}Narc] What elements of multiplayer halflife refresh us from the boring lack of strategy in deathmatch

[LintODeth] we've worked specifically on creating more strategy in MP... in most DM games the choices of weapon you use depends mainly on the weapons you've got
[Onnatop] Here's an example of a MP scenario: If another person plants a trip-mine, and you shoot the mine causing it to blow up and kill someone, you get the point for it.
[LintODeth] in HL we've made sure that the best weapon for you to use depends on the weapon they enemy's using against you, and the terrain you're in
[HarryT] there's a tremendous amount of strategy in HL DM. we're still finding new uses for the weapons, and new ways to make use of the various weapon characteristics
[LintODeth] in all situations there's a weapon or two that easily outperform the rest... but those weapons are rarely good in other situations. For example... the hivehand fires slowly, does little damage, but almost always hits an enemy who's in your sight.. it'll take you a while to kill him, so its best for you to keep a good distance and let the hornets take him down, but, if the enemy is a smart guy, he knows the hivehard wears you down, but is slow and inaccurate at closer ranges. So, the enemy guy should pull out a shotgun, or similar close combat weapon, and get closer too him, and fast


[SvenVikng] If some1's killed by a train, or by falling Bcos some1 shot them, does the person who started the train/person who caused them to fall get a frag?

[Jay_SM2k] No, you only get frags for fairly direct kills.


[SvenVikng] What sort of stuff will the free multiplayer demo-like thing have? E.g. all weapons/half weapons? All maps/half maps?

[Jay_SM2k] The multiplayer thing is for people who will run Half-Life servers. It's limited to a certain number of people.


[}Dann{] Will transparency be supported in Worldcraft? 3D accelerator?

[auto|ycus] transparency isn't supported in wc 2.0. Direct3d acceleration is support ... which is quite apparent on a g200