Half-Life 2

I realize many current HL2DM players never played Half-life. The result for those players has been to praise HL2DM as this magnificent game with this magnificent "gravity-gun", awesome physics and awesome graphics. Many of those players, the ones who never played Half-Life, still think and some will even say that Half-Life 2 is one of the best games ever made.

Those of us who played Half-Life and loved the game do not agree.

In 2003 and 2004 our entire clan of 30 plus members was anxiously anticipating the release of HL2. We just knew it was going to be awesome. The entire pc gaming world was on the edge of it's collective seat, waiting for the release of HL2. This was going to be big. Real big. In May of 2003 I flew out to E3 in Los Angeles to meet with and interview Gabe Newell, the Managing Director of Valve Corporation, about this great new game that he and his company were set to release. I recorded my interview with Gabe and it can still be seen on GDawgg.com today: http://gdawgg.com/gnv2.mpg.mpeg. Valve was so engrossed with their new physics engine and facial movements of the game's characters that maintaining weapon continuity from Half-Life and fluidity of player-movement were simply not on their radar. When HL2 was finally released in November of 2004, I and my clan-mates were completely disgusted with the game. So much so, that nearly half of our clan lost interest in playing and left the clan. To put it plainly, we were pissed. We felt betrayed by Valve.

Here are a few reasons why.

1. Half-Life is "always run", not the pathetic "fatigue-able sprint" that encumbers HL2DM.
2. In addition to being always run, there is also a server variable in Half-Life that allows admins to adjust the player run speed. This variable was disabled in HL2DM.
3. The "jump-pack" from Half-Life was also removed from HL2DM. This item allows players in Half-Life to jump high, long and fast.
4. Running/movement in HL2DM is like running in a vat of molasses. I was one of the first, if not the first, HL2DM server admin in November of 2004 to adjust the gravity on all my servers to "105" simply to make player movement more fluid.
5. The .357 Magnum in Half-Life is zoomable. This also was disabled in HL2DM.
6. The crossbow in Half-Life had no delay. ZERO DELAY. Not so in HL2DM. What does that mean, no delay? It means that if you target a player with the crossbow in Half-Life and click the mouse, the player is hit and is dead immediately, unless they've picked up some armor. In HL2, you have to lead the player and anticipate the player's next move to get crossbow kills.
7. The most egregious change/omission made by Valve was the replacement of the tau-cannon with the gravity-gun. The tau-cannon is easily the most multi-dimensional weapon I've ever used in any game I've played since 1992. The alternate-fire feature on the tau-cannon (right-mouse) allows the player to charge the weapon and upon release of the right-mouse the burst from the tau-cannon can propel the player high and far in an instant. Additionally, this same alt-fire burst can kill enemies through any surface in the game (walls, floors, ceilings, etc). In killbox the tau-cannon is lethal because the position of every player in the map is visible and this weapon is used to easily kill players on any catwalk or platform in the map with a simple charge and burst. The gravity-gun, in comparison, is not even worth mentioning. Many would argue this point. I would answer those arguments by saying the gravity-gun has zero bearing on player movement, unlike the tau-cannon. The instantaneous propulsion of the player by the tau-cannon is a game-changer. No other weapon in any game has this capability. Also, the gravity-gun cannot kill an enemy by itself, unlike the tau-cannon. Finally, the gravity-gun cannot kill an enemy in another room or building from the outside of that room or building. The tau-cannon can and does. This single omission/change, removing the tau-cannon, by Valve in their release of HL2 was the one that pissed us off the most. To the Dawggs of GDawgg Clan it was inexcusable. Valve and Steam became synonymous with failure to us. That sentiment still exists in our midst today. However, for anyone who never played Half-Life Killbox, you don't understand our perspective and you have no frame of reference so it's impossible for you to ever understand.

In the wake of this disaster, HL2DM, my clan was in a state of unrest and anger. Some guys just disappeared never to be seen again. Other guys said their good-byes and went to play BF1942. Either way, those of us who remained were left to keep the clan together in spite of HL2DM.


Along with WRATH and Spam I AM, two of my most trusted clan-mates to this day who stuck it out with me during those early HL2DM years are Swiz and MaiM. We've all gotten to know each other very well over these years and their loyalty to our clan is unquestionable. These four guys and myself are all that remain from the pre-2004 GDawgg Clan. There are not sufficient words to express my gratitude to WRATH, Spam, Swiz and MaiM for what they've meant to this clan over the course of what will soon be a decade.

Guys, thank you, thank you, thank you.

To be continued...