Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast is now out and aboot

[Creole Ned]

The free single player add-on for Half-Life 2 has been released over Steam. The Lost Coast is described thusly by Valve:

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, a single-player level custom-created to showcase High-Dynamic Range lighting (HDR) in the Source engine, is available now to all owners of HL2. As a technology showcase, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast's system requirements are very high. In fact, it will murder your video card and make your computer asplode, LOL!!!
I shall report back with my own findings soon!


* quote may be embellished slightly

[Creole Ned]

Here's my system:

Athlon 64 3500+
2 gigs PC3200 ram
GeForce 6800GT OC (BFG version, clocked a bit higher than default Nvidia specs)

I ran at 1024x768, 4X FSAA, AA off - same settings as regular HL2.

It seemed to run fine, actually and was very purdy. If they wanted to get people itching to play the upcoming HL2 expansion, it worked for me (although I still hate the weapon selection system). The level is pretty short, though. If you go all out, you can probably finish it in less than 10 minutes, so it really is more of a tech demo than anything.

I'd recommend playing through with the commentary on. They give a nice rundown of the fancypants new effects. The light streaming through the church window was particularly effective, I thought.

[FoeKilla]

mnyeh, neat

[jackrabbit]

I just installed and played on hard. It still only took about 15 minutes, though some fights were fairly difficult.

I cranked the settings thinking my new PC could handle it no-problem. But it still takes a hit loading new textures and the v-sync just kills it. I have no idea what v-sync is, tho.

Anyhow, it looks amazing with the new effects and sets the bar that much higher for anything else, but like Ned says, it's more just a way of showing off. They show you a whole town in the distance, but you only get to fight in a single building - the forementioned church - and its surroundings.

Still cool and well worth the price (free), plus it downloaded in only a few minutes.

[Tick]

v-synch means that it tries to lock the FPS into the monitor's cycling. If your monitor is at 75hz, it tries to run at 75 FPS.

It is, as I understand it, a generally bad idea.

[sdrosenb]

Agreed the lost coast was not long- but it was sweet-- plus maybe i was my imagination but it seemed that the rag doll physics looked better in this thing--

either way more halflife 2 = goodness:bg:

[samuelk]

Agreed the lost coast was not long- but it was sweet-- plus maybe i was my imagination but it seemed that the rag doll physics looked better in this thing--

either way more halflife 2 = goodness:bg:

I think the developers just set up more neat ways for bodies to fall -- a gunfight on a cliffside pretty much guarantees that the ragdolls will fly. :)

[Tai]

I think the developers just set up more neat ways for bodies to fall -- a gunfight on a cliffside pretty much guarantees that the ragdolls will fly. :)

The same can be said about my driving...

In burnout 3 that is!







no snide comments from Bridude please =P

[Shadowrat]

It doesn't run on my system.

For some reason, it pops up a warning that my cpu is only .8 Ghz. I choose to ignore that warning, knowing full well my cpu is > .8

Then the instruction at 2223c36d references memory that could not be read. :(

I think i'm going to need a new machine sooner rather than later.

[jackrabbit]

Rat, I get that same error as well. I've checked Google for mention of it, but since it's not really an error, and it's specific to CPU speed, I haven't been able to find anything.

I don't think it's the CPU reporting mismatch that causes the error, though, because I was running HL2 on a lower speed PC than your laptop when I got that error before, and it still worked. Maybe reinstall Steam or Lost Coast?

Failing that, you can come over to my place for the 15 minutes it will take to play it. ;)


I played CounterStrike: Source with my brother on Saturday and Sunday for about 6 hours. I've never really *liked* the game, but damn if it doesn't suck you in! I'd be up for some more CS:S Smackdown if it happens.