Half-Life for Mac exists!!!

actually, i believe this may be correct.

initially HL was slated to be released for the Mac OS as well as for PC's. however, Sierra, in their infinate wisdom at the last second decided to nix the mac version.

it was mostly done though, and i'm sure there are copies of it floating around.

the main reason the decided to can it was that they didn't want to support dual platform patches and updates in the future.

The game was slated for late 1999 release, or was . . .

It's true. I played it on the computer that it was being developed on. At Macworld New York a few years back, we (Mac 3D Dot Com) had a booth whilst covering the national gaming championships. Some of our good friends like Lane Roathe and Andrew Meggs were there for Logicware, and after the show closed Andrew showed us Half Life on his box. On the last day of the show he was actually working on the code, and for anyone that for some strange reason may have been there, he was attempting to code naked IDG wouldn't have that, so I think he just settled with topless.

At any rate, it exists, it's quite incomplete, and it isn't Apple's fault that it never got finished.

[quote]On the other hand I have a friend at Valve that is working on the maps for HL2 (and was responsible for quite a few of them in HL) that HL2 is almost 100% coming for Mac and that, surprise, they are re-doing HL (original) with the HL2 engine... wicked.<hr></blockquote>

:eek: Your not serious. HL2 seems to be one of the most closely guarded games ever. I think Valve has learned their lesson of announcing the game to early to the public. But HL2 on the Mac, and HL redone with HL2 engine. Oh how orgazmic. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

Hell any word, any word at all, on HL2 is orgazmic.

Will the engine use OpenGL?

Actually I remember reading a messge from one of the people who was working on the mac port. He said that it was axed 2 days from gold master. 2 frikin days.
I hate Sierra, they did this exact same thing with Tribes 2, and I bet they do it with every other major title. Ever since they were bought out...
The scary thing is that the same people who own thme own Blizzard (who I am becoming more and more unimpressed with. BnetD any one?)

Ya. The whole Half-Life and Tribes thing has really annoyed me as well. The only problem with Hald-Life would have been it ran only from Mac to Mac, and did not support playing with PC's, so I could not have brought my Mac to lans... I hope that HL2 truly DOES play Half-Life, and has compatible networks, which I see as totally viable. At the time HL was axed, the Mac truly did not have nearly as much support as it does today, and now, since it is eaiser to develop for than ever, I do not see them canceling it for the Mac.. Heres to hoping.

actually, HL was designed to be completely cross platform, much like all the blizzard titles. that was also the problem. Sierra didn't want to have to patch both sides when a problem arose, so they just killed off the mac version.

the tidbits about HL 2 are interesting, but they have anything in mind to keep the cheats down in future mods?

[quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:
<strong>actually, HL was designed to be completely cross platform, much like all the blizzard titles. that was also the problem. Sierra didn't want to have to patch both sides when a problem arose, so they just killed off the mac version.

the tidbits about HL 2 are interesting, but they have anything in mind to keep the cheats down in future mods?</strong><hr></blockquote>


You're correct as to the reason why even if HalfLife for Mac shipped, it wouldn't have played on a network with PCs, but it wasn't the reason Sierra cancelled the port. What's worse is that Sierra balked on paying the folks who did the work up until it was cancelled. it's sort of a sensitive subject for those that were working on it. I'll fire off an email and get an inside view on it...

ahh, that's what i had heard, perhaps those faq's were all off.

Well, here's what Lane had to say about HalfLife. I don't think they much like to talk about it ;-)

[quote] Half-Life was in beta when cancelled, pretty much to FC stage. It could
play networked against other mac and windows machines as either a client
or server, and the single player game worked. Beyond that, I doubt anyone
played it anywhere unless it was leaked out by someone at Sierra.<hr></blockquote>

And Lane just sent me a follow-up email, addressing the network play and why Sierra axxed it...

[quote] We expected it to ship with network support. My take on why Sierra
cancelled it was that they were pissed that Apple wouldn't pay for their
advertising the game. The "official" reason initially was that Valve
cancelled it. The "Official" reason after Valve denied it was that Sierra
couldn't figure out how to maintain compatability with the Windows
updates (of which there were many!). Of course, since we had fixed many
Windows bugs, and had our version running under Windows... <hr></blockquote>

So that's the official word from one of the developers :-)

Sierra is so.... ARGH!
As for Blizzard, not counting their actions on the PC side, I had a LOT of problems with Starcraft. It was at a point where it was perfectly playable and practically bugless about 2 years before it was released. Its almost as if it was delayed.
Mac Diablo 2 was AHEAD of the PC version, yet it took what? 3 months?
Perhaps its just coincidence but...

Half Life...mmm...

Too bad I'm getting a PC.

Can't wait to play DoD and CS.

Are you buying a 'gaming PC' or are you converting over entirely? Did you sell your Power Mac? I always find it kind of silly that people spend a ton of money on buying a gaming PC.

[quote]Originally posted by Fran441:
<strong>Are you buying a 'gaming PC' or are you converting over entirely? Did you sell your Power Mac? I always find it kind of silly that people spend a ton of money on buying a gaming PC.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Agreed. The amount of money that "gamers" spend on upgrading their video cards, sound cards and what not every year I would spend on a new console. I don't even think I'll need a new console for awhile seeing as I'm totally addicted to SSX Tricky

[quote]Originally posted by Willoughby:
<strong>
I don't even think I'll need a new console for awhile seeing as I'm totally addicted to SSX Tricky </strong><hr></blockquote>

Me too

Actually, I built a "gaming PC" about 3 years ago for about $500, haven't made any major upgrades since then, and I get a lot of mileage out of it still. It won't play the latest and greatest, but I can still kick butt on a Half-Life server... <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />

[quote]Originally posted by Willoughby:
<strong>
I don't even think I'll need a new console for awhile seeing as I'm totally addicted to SSX Tricky </strong><hr></blockquote>

Me too

Later, if everything works out, I think I'll sell my G4.

But for now it will be a gaming PC. It costed $750...cheaper than anything Mac. Gaming is one of the primary things I do on my computer, therefore, using a Mac wasn't really the best idea.

Do you want to argue about how I should have gotten a console instead? Because I am willing to.

I think it boils down to the kind of gaming you're doing. It's sort of 'not fun' to play Civ III or various flight sims on a console. Multiplayer support on consoles isn't too exciting, because you have to split the TV screen.

At any rate, there are some fun console games out there... or so I hear. The last console I owned was a Turbo Grafx 16 with the CD-ROM attachment. Old school

[quote]I think it boils down to the kind of gaming you're doing. It's sort of 'not fun' to play Civ III or various flight sims on a console. Multiplayer support on consoles isn't too exciting, because you have to split the TV screen.<hr></blockquote>

*wap wap wap*

You nailed it. Also, while FPS are getting better on consoles, they still suck. I hate most console games (any adventure game, fighting games, etc). Halo is cool, but it was really annoying to be squinting at a TV and fooling with a controller. While I did get good with the controller (after 30 minutes had serious ownage), I still hated it and longed for a KBD and mouse. The experience just isn't quite the same.

Besides FPS, I also play Flight Sims and the Civ series (haven't gotten Civ 3 yet...I can't wait!).

[quote]Multiplayer support on consoles isn't too exciting, because you have to split the TV screen.<hr></blockquote>

Well, all of the major console manufacturers have showed willingness to get into internet gaming. In fact, Sega was in the business a few years ago, and Microsoft and Sony are launching their online services later this year. Nintendo still hasn't announced all of their plans, but as multiplayer games via the internet are already announced, you can bet that they will show something off soon- most likely E3.

As for the keyboard vs. controller argument, that's your own personal preference. But most of the consoles already have at least one keyboard and mouse available- I know because I have them for the DC.

Also, the squinting at the TV argument holds no water, as you can hook your console up to a computer monitor. This ability has been around for quite some time. You need an adapter for the ADC Apple monitors, but it's definitely do-able.

[quote]I hate most console games (any adventure game, fighting games, etc).<hr></blockquote>

Well, that's definitely your personal opinion, there. But play any sports game on a console, and it will be so much better than on a computer, it's scary.

You also have to realize that today's consoles ARE the future of the Gaming PC, whether people like it or not. Microsoft realized this, and that's why they have the XBox out. The XBox is a great gaming box (with the exception that it might be scratch games ) and has what the 'traditional PC gamer' needs including high speed online play, and a hard drive for saves, patches, etc.

Sony has a similar add on coming out for the PS2 in time for it's online launch, and games are only getting better now as a result.

Now I'm not saying that all PC gaming will die out, but I am saying that buying a PC and selling your Mac just for the sake of games is silly, especially considering the offerings that the console makers have now.

BTW, don't plan on buying Halo for that PC. The project was officially cancelled today, and all major game retailers were informed that the game will not be appearing on Windows based computers. Instead, Microsoft is foucssing on the relaunch of Halo as version 1.5 for their online gaming network. The game will feature new levels for multiplayer, as well as bots for coop play. The Mac version will still be produced, and will be a similar version that will interact online with XBox players.

[quote]Originally posted by Fran441:
<strong>
The Mac version will still be produced, and will be a similar version that will interact online with XBox players. </strong><hr></blockquote>

<img src="graemlins/surprised.gif" border="0" alt="[Surprised]" />
How long till they cancel the Mac version? I think it will never see the light of day.

I never owned a FPS for a console and I probably never will. It doesn't feel right without the mouse and keyboard. Secondly, I'd never own a game like Warcraft, Civilization or The Sims on a console either.

On the other hand, the only sports-type game I ever bought for my Mac was Tony Hawk 2, and it sucks
I just recently got a used Dreamcast and a friend gave me a copy of his TH2 for DC. It blows the mac version away.

Fran, I am not a sports game guy at all. Seriously, if you want to do a sport, go out and play it. You don't need to simulate it.

The gaming experience just isn't the same. Once it reaches the level of the PC then I'll think about it. But now, even though the graphics are very good, the games, the community, etc. doesn't match up.

[quote]But now, even though the graphics are very good, the games, the community, etc. doesn't match up.<hr></blockquote>

I still disagree with you. The console 'gaming community' is huge! If you've ever been over to IGN or their boards before they went pay to post, you'd know that the console gaming community is very big.

Considering that many of the games for consoles are out on the PC as well, and can interact with each other, (example: DC Unreal Tournament with PC Unreal Tournament), it's only a matter of time before consoles will be the systems with most of the exclusive 'killer' games. Look at Unreal Championship, for example. It looks to be one of the best FPS games ever, and it's XBox only. They'll let you play against friends over Broadband internet, they'll let you download skins and levels on to your hard drive, they'll let you use voice chat using a headset, and if you really want to, you can still use that pesky keyboard and mouse.

Then let's look at Half Life. This game is already out for PS2, and will be relaunched when Sony starts up their online service so you can use the patches for CS and DoD. This can use a keyboard/mouse as well (and probably your regular ones through the USB ports, but this is not confirmed).

Buying a gaming PC now doesn't make as much sense as it did a few years ago. The console markets seem to be charging forward in terms of reclaiming the gaming market that they controlled in the 80s. The thing that made PC gaming over the last few years was online play. But now that the opportunity exists to play the console games online, I feel that the gaming experience on consoles will surpass PC gaming very shortly.

[quote]Originally posted by radar1503:
<strong>

*wap wap wap*
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Uhhh... what are you doing over there? Or do we want to know? :eek:

[quote]Originally posted by radar1503:
<strong>Half Life...mmm...

Too bad I'm getting a PC.

Can't wait to play DoD and CS. </strong><hr></blockquote>

I think that I have to get one for my major in college, but dude... it's all about S&I! (the BEST mod ever)

which one is S&I? i've been playing on trying out DoD lately, but have been too caught up in starcraft.

anyone else watching this Bushido mod? guess i'm just an addict after playing bushido blade on the playstation. i just want something similar to play on my computer.

[quote]Uhhh... what are you doing over there? Or do we want to know? <hr></blockquote>

Hitting the nail on the head! Duh!

Fran: I know you're a console whore, but I've played consoles...one friend has an XBox, one has a Gamecube, etc. It's not the same. Maybe they have the potential to match the PC. But they don't right now.

The community is different...I never said it was smaller. The games are different. It's a different type of gaming platform. Seriously, what worthwhile flight sims are available for any console? Or turn based strategy 9like Civ 3)?

Plus, upgrading and tweaking hardware etc. is fun. You can't quite do that with a console...the way you get it is the way it will always be.

If I might make an observation, and it's only just now poped into my head and may need further development, but...

I seem to see us going back and forth between wanting a device that will do it all, and then wanting separate devices that do one thing very well.

For instance, there was a point at which computers were supposed to be good at a lot of things. We can word process, we can make pretty pictures, we can waste too much time chatting online, we can play games, etceteras. Now it seems recently we've gone back on that. I think this is evident (though, admittedly, not terribly widespread) by those email terminals that came out. So we would have a little terminal just for email, we'd have our video game console, and we'd have our PC. Those Internet Appliances came out but flopped as well.

In the mobile world, there is a group of people that firmly believe a PDA and cell phone should be one, while there are people that believe we should have a separate PDA and cell phone because they'd rather have separate devices good at a specific thing.

Anyhow, it's an observation... personally, I'm all for the separation thing, and I have a better experience playing games in general on a console... with the exception of games like Civ III. Anyhow, poke and prod it, just an observation, I've yet to determine what I really think of it

lol, isn't that the concept behind a gaming PC?

i think of my computer as a gaming machine that can also do artwork or word process if necessary.

and i have yet to see the all-in-one office appliance that can do the jobs it's supposed to half as well as the lowest model that's dedicated to the specific tast.

[quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:
<strong>which one is S&I? i've been playing on trying out DoD lately, but have been too caught up in starcraft.

anyone else watching this Bushido mod? guess i'm just an addict after playing bushido blade on the playstation. i just want something similar to play on my computer.</strong><hr></blockquote>

S&I is Science and Industry and it is not for everyone. It takes someone who is willing to take on a multifaceted game where killing people is not the only objective. C'mon you know that you want it. Check it out <a href="http://www.planethalflife.com/si/" target="_blank"> here. </a>

[quote]It takes someone who is willing to take on a multifaceted game where killing people is not the only objective.<hr></blockquote>

What? You don't kill people? <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />

hmm, played S&I for an hour or two. it was fun, but not that great.

the only thing i didn't like was that the tech. upgrades came too quickly. every time i die and respawn there were two new weapons! it made the upgrades kinda' cheap, not that hard to work for.

it also made stealing the tech kind of pointless.

but it has hope. if they made the maps a bit longer, and the tech a bit slower, it would rule. it would make the upgrades a lot more important.

[quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:
<strong>
if they made the maps a bit longer, and the tech a bit slower, it would rule. it would make the upgrades a lot more important.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey, it's not perfect. The real trick is to get the implants upgrades instead of just going for the guns Also, longer maps? I confused... 40 or 50 mins not long enough for you? Anyway thanks for trying

i think i'll keep up-to-date with it actually. it has a lot of potential. thing is that i just wish the technology was worth a bit more, seems too easy to get stuff.

but like i said, it really seems like it could go places. great concept!