Half-Life + Decay | Complete Guide

Half-Life★ 5 · 291 ratings12k views530 favorites34 min readby [λG] GlovemanUpdated Jul 10View on Steam ↗

Intro & Story

is an Action First-Person Shooter developed by Valve and released November 19th, 1998. Half-Life runs on GoldSrce - A modified version of the Quake Engine, idTech.

Story
Theoretical Physicist Gordon Freeman arrives late to Sector C to perform an experiment in Anomalous Materials. An explosion during a failed experiment at the Black Mesa Research Facility rips open a portal to an alien world. Gordon Freeman survives, but must now battle both aliens and government forces to save humankind before the Earth is overrun.

History

Originally a side project to Prospero - Valves first project. Quiver, Triphammer and Belly of The Beast were working titles before Valve eventually settled on Half-Life.

Most of the assets being made for Prospero eventually found its way in Half-Life as Valve had shifted focus on that instead. A few of the sound files are still labeled Prospero even.

Set for a December 1997 release date, Valve restarted development and would remake Half-Life in under a year pushing the game back to November 19th, 1998 to critical acclaim and massive success earning Game of The Year.

After the launch and success of Half-Life, and the death of Prospero, alot of mods and conversions were made in the community. Some of these stood out to Valve so much that they hired the modders and made the mods official titles such as Team Fortress Classic, Day of Defeat and the famous Counter-Strike. One of which would launch in 1999, the same year Half-Life's first expansion Opposing Force. Valve would have 3 major titles in just the span of 3 years.

Another notable mod that released only 2 months after Half-Life called Sven Co-op would become one of the biggest mods for the game and eventually would get a standalone release with Valves blessing and engine access to GoldSrce for further development.

From 1999 to 2004 Valve would develop the eventual massive success known as Half-Life 2.

Full Walkthrough

SOON™

25 Years of Half-Life

Half-Life is officially 25 years old. Time flies. I remember playing HL1 when i was 3 years old and loving it. Now its a life defining game for me and i cherish it thanks to my Dad.

Half-Life's 25th Anniversary has brought tons of new things to the table including WON features, QoL stuff and more.Heres some videos for your viewing pleasure featuring my Year of the Lambda Series.

25th Anniversary Documentary

Valve and Noclip made a Half-Life Documentary for its 25th Anniversary. Check it out

25th Anniversary Update

The same game you played in 1998 - restored, augmented, and revitalized

For its 25th Birthday Valve did the unthinkable and released its first major update for Half-Life 1 with a plethora of new stuff, fixes and even old stuff such as the WON menu, startup movie, Alpha Playermodels and more.

You can view the entire thing here at the Half-Life 25th Site[www.half-life.com]

RememberFreeman

August 14th, 2022 a Half-Life event took place called RememberFreeman[rememberfreeman.lambdageneration.com] in which the community came together and broke the all time player count on Half-Life 1. You can view the event here

Developer Playthrough

Dario Casali, a legendary Level Designer who worked on the Half-Life series, has uploaded their own playthrough of HL1 with commentary and insight into the history of development. For your viewing pleasure you can see it here all in one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naWgflzwwTc&list=PLk5gaNp4x_AVIJviyHueHizonrIhAAtdj&index=1&t=115s

For Valve - To Be Fixed

Half-Life as a whole is a complete experience and after the 25th Anniversary Update Valve added and changed things to make it even better but the game is still far from being the absolute best it can ~ It's not alot, but there are quite a few things that would make the game just that much better. For new and for old vets like myself.

Half-Life Complete
With Half-Life 2 being complete as Episode One & Two have been merged into one product, it would make alot of sense for Opposing Force & Blue Shift to be merged into Half-Life 1 for a complete product. Add Decay aswell for Co-op as Remote Play Together would work wonders for 2-player or Steam Networking making Half-Life 1 a complete package.
Fixed Maps, Models & Weapon Animations + Flashlight & HUD
Most of the maps have some real glaring issues like missing textures, Zfighting and more. There's a Vanilla Map Pack Fix you can actually download that fixes most of this but Isn't perfect. An official fix from Valve would be awesome. BSPguy works wonders
Some of the Models in the game are old and outdated such as the HEV Suit with no gloves. The weapon animations are pretty broke and random including the Crowbar not playing its idle animations at all and some other guns looping the animation rapidly. The viewmodels of some guns aren't fixed for modern systems including the Shotgun that has no stock, the RPG and crossbow with no backing and more. The NPC Revitalization and Vanilla Weapon Fixes by Brusstrigger solve this really well and having them officially would do wonders. The Flashlight really needs updated as mods such as The Last Goodbye run on the 25th Update Branch and has a massively improved FL. The HUD and Crosshairs are really low-res and make it hard to aim. Thankfully modders have made better ones that could be easily implemented.
Chapter Select + Subtitles
Being able to select chapters would be incredibly great and a massive QoL change for Half-Life as plenty of mods in the community have been able to do this and use the VGUI2 chapter select from HL2. Another big thing missing is proper subtitles for NPC's. Both HL: Extended and The Last Goodbye use both of these really well
Achievements + Workshop
Having some achievements for Half-Life 1 would be nice to have a completion ribbon next to its sequels. Workshop would also be great for modding and ease of access given mods such as Legacy and Zombie Panic! support both Workshop and achievements.
Coop
DOOM + DOOM 2, Quake and Quake 2 have Co-op Campaign so why not Half-Life? Utilizing the new Steam Networking feature and Deathmatch as a base for the maps, implementing co-op for story would be a cakewalk. So easy that there's a mod for it!
Cut Trading Cards & Point Shop Items
Back when Trading Cards and Emotes were added to steam and debuted with Half-Life 2, Valve had ones planned for Half-Life 1. They were obviously cut but would be really cool to have again and have a HL1 badge, profile background etc.

Half-Life is one of the greatest FPS ever made and stands next to Quake and Doom but could be improved for a modern experience. This isn't early 2000s anymore and the game could be seen in a rough light. With all of this, it would improve the game more than anyone realizes. I adore HL and want to see it as the best it can possibly be and I think Valve should too.

Half-Life Soundtracks

Produced by Kelly Bailey[www.discogs.com] the Half-Life Soundtrack[www.discogs.com] is a 90s techno, electronic drum & bass collection of tracks made to compliment the backdrop of Black Mesa that saw their inclusion in future Half-Life titles.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/323130/HalfLife_Soundtrack
Alongside the Official Soundtrack, Sierra also released an entirely separate Soundtrack not officially featured in any of the games.

You can download it here

Half-Life: Decay

Released alongside the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life as a bonus mode,

Decay is a full length coop campaign during the events of Half-Life
You play as Dr. Gina Cross/Dr. Colette Green as you help Dr. Keller and Rosenberg with a series of tasks during the Resonance Cascade.

You can download a PC port of the mod to play with a friend if interested to experience Gina and Colette's side of the Cascade.

The 25th Anniversary Update made playing the PC Fan Port alot easier without the hassle of Port Forwarding. You can download Half-Life: Decay here Just download the zip, and drag the "decay" folder into Steam/Steamapps/Common/HalfLife and restart Steam

Additionally, there's a few addons for Decay that can make the experience much better with a Patch and Classic Pack

Alternatively, there's a Remastered Decay by Mr. Floyd to play Decay in Singleplayer coming sometime in the future.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1874090/HalfLife_Decay_Solo_Mission/

Half-Life Alpha

One of the more interesting things about Half-Life is its Alpha and Beta content such as the 97' Builds and Alpha 0.52.

While alot of it is still unreleased and lost unfortunately, some of it has been recovered and even remade that's available to download.

Alpha 0.52, Net Test 1+2, Absolute Zero and more are just a few ways to experience the early days of Half-Lffe 1. Some stuff such as Quiver and Triphammer are fan recreations aiming for accuracy that are still being cooked.

List of the available Alpha Beta Content
Alpha 0.52[hl2-beta.ru]
Absolute Zero
Triphammer
Net Test 1[hl2-beta.ru]
Net Test 2[hl2-beta.ru]

Half-Life: Signal Lost - Alpha Made Good

Alpha is a notorious subject in the Half-Life community as its a very sought after build from 97. While we do have some stuff like 0.52, Net Test 1 and 2 we dont have the complete picture. There are community projects such as Absolute Zero and Triphammer that recreate it as accurate as possible

Enter Signal Lost by Jane Thrace.

A complete original take on the Half-Life Alpha as a standalone experience that's fleshed out into a full game with creative liberties and unique changes. You're thrown right into action as you play as Gordon Freeman as he must escape Black Mesa due to an experiment gone wrong in classic alpha style.

Half-Life: Spyro The Dragon

Besides Half-Life releasing in 98', another great game featuring a cool purple dragon released for PlayStation. Spyro The Dragon.

But what if you took Spyro and put him in an HEV suit within the confines of the Black Mesa Research Facility?

Magic Nipples wondered the same thing and has made Half-Life: Year of the Dragon

Half-Life: Year of the Dragon allows you to play through Half-Life (to some extent) as Spyro with its own unique gameplay and level design compliments. Running on Xash3D so you can just drag and drop and enjoy

Half-Life: MMod

As of now there's lots of ways to play Half-Life. Mods, conversions, addons etc. One definitive way to play is the brilliant overhaul mod MMod. Developed by Gunship MK 2, MMod is a free, fan made modification for Half-Life aiming to refine player's arsenal and further expand player's combat options. Featuring AI tweaks, VFX and SFX overhaul in spirit of original, additional weapon functionality and bug fixes, while keeping most changes optional
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1761270/HalfLife_MMod/

Half-Life: Extended

If you've been longing for a more extended and enhanced way to play Half-Life 1, well that's been solved with Half-Life: Extended.

Hard-Life

Half-Life as it was in 1998 might've been a challenge for some but today it's a cakewalk. Except on Hard cause its really unbalanced on Hard. Enter: Hard-Life. A complete rework and remake of Half-Life 1 that ups the ante 10x fold making the game significantly more difficult. And it features Co-op so you dont have to suffer alone.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/850870/HardLife/

Half-Life Reimagined

If you've completed Half-Life and are looking for something fresh and new, you can check out the full re-imagining of Half-Life - Black Mesa. Developed by Crowbar Collective and licensed by Valve, Black Mesa is a complete Remake of the legendary title on the Source Engine featuring all new features and modern technology. With built-in Multiplayer and Workshop support offering extra hours of fun. With more fleshed out levels and chapters such as controversial Xen now with extra flair and design. Now is the best time to return to Half-Life.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/362890/Black_Mesa/

Half-Life: Remake-Demake

What if you took Black Mesa and demade it for GoldSrce? Well thats exactly what Black Mesa Classic is.

Black Mesa: Classic takes the maps and level of detail of Black Mesa and puts it right back into Half-Life on GoldSrce.

If you're a fan of Half-Life and Black Mesa then this is for you.

Half-Life Ray Traced

While not official like Half-Life 2 RTX Remix, someone has made a pretty decent Ray Traced HL1 mod on Xash3D that runs well and looks great

Half-Life VR

If you're looking to experience Gordon's journey in VR then you're in luck as theres actually a VR version of the game on Steam and even features achievements! NOTE: Its still in Beta and does have some glaring issues as its not the Source VR team and instead a solo dev.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1908720/HalfLife_VR_Mod/

A Place in the West - Interlude Comic

The events between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 is a 20 Year period of mystery that's yet to be explained by Valve. Enter - A Place In The West. A comic written and made to be an Epilogue to HL1 and a Prelude to HL2. An Interlude if you will

Written by Ross Joseph A Place in the West takes place in between both games featuring an original story, characters, setting and more giving a brand new lore friendly entry in the Half-Life Series. With the first Chapter free and 15 in total

A Place in the West is a great entry and a must for Half-Life fans

https://store.steampowered.com/app/466270/HalfLife_A_Place_in_the_West/

Codename Loop - Roguelike Half-Life

If you're feeling venturous and want to try something different, then let me introduce you to a friend of mine PinkyDev/Almanara's super cool title - Codename Loop. The Half-Life Roguelike (or Rogue-Life)

Play Half-Life or custom maps in a top-down twin-stick Roguelike. Select from a variety of skins, play or make custom BPS's as a custom campaign. But be aware, if you die, you will restart.

You can currently download the Demo and Campaign Template here

A planned Steam release was confirmed but the status on that is unknown as Pinky is developing Rogue Mansion and another Indie project. Previously the game was called Half-Life: Loop before Valve had them change it for approval on Steam. Go give them some love and check out Rogue Mansion!

Some useful console commands if you want to mess around
- sv_cheats 1
- Impulse 101
- god
- noclip
- map "map name"
- cam_view 0 (Default)
- cam_view 1 (Third Person)
- cam_view 2 (First Person
- hud_draw (0 disables, 1 enables)

Gunman Chronicles

Gunman Chronicles has a long and interesting history that ended as a retail GoldSrce game for Half-Life 1. While you can find retail big boxes and CD's for it, its planned and even marketed Steam release never came to be. Luckily the community did what they do best and made a Steam port for Half-Life 1 that even runs with the 25th Anniversary Edition + you can get a patch for the WON menu.

Simply download it here
Drag the folder into your HL1 directory: steam/steamapps/common/Half-Life
and restart steam.

It's a very unique game and one that deserves a remaster and steam release finally

PLEASE NIGHTDIVE MAKE IT HAPPEN

Saving Every Scientist & Guard

Normally, in Half-Life, you can't save most of the Scientists or Security Guards from their inevitable doom due to limitations. With Half-Life: Source, that becomes a reality.

Welcome to Lemmings

Half-Life: Lemmings is a HL:S mod that allows you to save and travel with every Scientist and Guard on your journey. Minus ones that die for Lore reasons of course.

Lemmings has custom animations and features that will make your journey through Black Mesa again alot different this time around. You'll have to Run. Think. Shoot. Live to not only save yourself but also your colleagues because if one goes down and you have no Medic...it's over.

I didn't want to make a Guide for Half-Life: Source because who does really so I'm putting it here instead, so enjoy! :)

Half-Likes

While almost if not all of the Boomer Shooter/Retro FPS scene is Doom inspired shooters and sometimes Quake like WRATH, DUSK and HROT, there are a couple that are heavily inspired by Half-Life. We call these Half-Likes

Abiotic Factor (Kinda)
Taking heavy inspiration from Half-Life, Abiotic Factor is a 1-8 survival crafting imsim set within a Research Facility in the Australian Outback. You play as hopeless Scientists trying to escape the GATE Cascade Facility as its crumbling and being invaded by Aliens and the Army. The game's survival aspects are those of Project Zomboid, ImSim like Deus Ex andeverything else is Half-Life 1 inspired down to the graphics and little references. Not exactly a Half-Like, but if you want more of that kinda world then AF is the perfect choice.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/427410/Abiotic_Factor/

Eiskalt
I have nothing to share at this time about my game. It is very much primarily inspired by Half-Life. Its been a dream to make a Half-Like set in the Snowy Tundra as a love letter to Half-Life and in dedication to my Dad for getting me into Half-Life, Valve and gaming overall. No ETA but I strive to make this a standout for the Half-Like scene.

Skarven
Following in the hallowed footsteps of Half-Life is Skarven, a story-based adventure where everything plays out in real time and the game never takes away control, aka, a true Half-Like.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3309550/Skarven/

Kvark
Set in a fictional version of the 80s Czech Republic, Kvark is heavily Half-Life inspired FPS.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2319390/Kvark/

Shelf Life
Developed by a friend, Shelf Life is a small indie fps inspired by Half-Life
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2814000/Shelf_Life/

FreeHL

FreeHL[github.com] is a clean-room reimplementation of the WON versions of Half-Life, running on the FTE source port for Quake, using QuakeC.

Commands & Cheats

Open the Developer Console with "~" and then type sv_cheats 1 before entering any commands. If the dev console doesn't open by default, locate the config file and make sure BIND "~" toggleconsole is there or add it to launch options.
sv_cheats 1 - Enables Cheats
God - Invincibility
Noclip - Fly through walls
Impulse 76 - Spawns a HECU Grunt
Impulse 101 - Gives all weapons
Impulse 102 - Gives the HEV Suit
Impulse 107 - Tells you what texture you're looking at
Impulse 200 - Removes Items
Notarget - NPC's ignore you
Maps * - Shows list of maps
map "map name" - loads the desired map *Note you will load with no weapons or suit*
Restart - restarts the current map
Volume - Set the desired game volume
MP3Volume - Set the desired music volume
GL_clear 1 - disables the hall of mirrors outside the map
Disconnect - Ends your SP or MP session
Developer 1 - Enables Dev mode / 0 disables
Dev_overview 1 - Enables top down view of the current map / 0 disables
fps_override 1 - Overrides the FPS limit / 0 disables
fps_max - Lets you set the FPS limit
give weapon_ - Gives weapon of choice
give item_ - Gives item of choice
Chase active_1 - Thirdperson over the shoulder / 0 disables
Thirdperson - Play in Thirdperson!
Firstperson - Play the default perspective
Default_fov - Set Viewmodel Distance (Default is 90)
r_drawviewmodel 0 - Disables the weapon viewmodel
hud_draw 0 - Turns off HUD
violence_agibs 1
violence_ablood 1
violence_hblood 1
violence_hgibs 1
These 4 can enable the Violence and Blood for NPC's. 0 Disables it
You can find a complete list of all available commands here[sr-team.clan.su]

Launch Options

If you wish to have stuff automatically set for you you can add them to the launch options parameters instead.

- Locate the game in your library
- Right click and goto Properties
- In Launch Options enter the desired commands

Windowed Fullscreen: -noborder -windowed
Disable Sierra Intro: -nosierra
Preset Field of view: +default_fov
Disable Mouse Acceleration: -noforcemaccel
Dev Mode: -developer1
Play a Mod: -game "mod folder name"
Change Resolution: -w 2560 -h 1440 / -w 1920 -h 1080

Windowed Borderless

To play Half-Life in Windowed Borderless it works the same for other GoldSrce and Source games.

Library > Half-Life > Properties > Launch Options
-windowed -noborder
After this, launch the game and enjoy!

This also works for all GoldSrce and Source games like Sven Co-op or Team Fortress 2.

FOV

As of November 17th, 2023 Valve has fixed FOV for the 25th Anniversary Update. The game now has the Widescreen FOV option that you can just use instead.

Half-Life's FOV by Default is 90. So keep it at 90 if you have the Widescreen option enabled
If you want a higher FOV of 110 then make sure to disable it. Alternitavely you can add it as a launch option by adding: "+default_fov ###" and enter the desired value.

To maintain identical vertical FOV to the 4:3 FOV at other aspect ratios, here's a list of recommended values:
5:4 - 86.3
25:16 - 99.07
16:10 - 100.39
15:9 - 102.68
16:9 - 106.26
1.85:1 - 108.44
21:9 (2560x1080) - 121.28
21:9 (3440x1440) - 121.66
43:18 - 121.66
2.39:1 - 121.68
21:9 (3840x1600) - 121.89
2.76:1 - 128.43
32:10 - 134.76
32:9 - 138.89
15:4 - 140.85
12:3 - 143.13
48:10 - 148.95
45:9 - 150.14
48:9 - 151.93

Change Game Option

Normally in the menu the option to change your game appears allowing you to switch to a mod, TFC, CS or Day of Defeat for ex. For whatever reason it dissapears but through a small code edit you can bring this back.

Step 1: Locate your Half-Life directory
Step 2: inside valve/resource you should find "GameMenu.res" edit this with notepad
Step 3: Find line "14" and delete "notsteam" "notsingle" "notmulti" keyvalues
Step 4: Restart the game and you should see the change game option

Custom Game Menu

Within Half-Life's files you'll find GameMenu. This txt doc in particular will let you change how the main menu appears depending on what you want changed. Whether it be extra buttons, an option that launches a specific map, re-adding the change game option or anything else you might want/need for modding.

Locate it in

steamapps/common/Half-Life/Valve/Resource/GameMenu

If you want your main menu to resemble WON even further with the 25th Update, you can use this custom GameMenu code

{ "1" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_ResumeGame" "command" "ResumeGame" "OnlyInGame" "1" } "5" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_PlayerList" "command" "OpenPlayerListDialog" "OnlyInGame" "1" "notsingle" "1" } "7" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_NewGame" "command" "OpenNewGameDialog" "notmulti" "1" "notsingle" "1" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_NewGame" } "8" { "label" "Hazard course" "command" "engine map t0a0" "HelpText" "Learn how to play Half-Life." } "18" { "label" "Configuration" "command" "OpenOptionsDialog" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_Configuration" } "10" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_SaveGame" "command" "OpenSaveGameDialog" "notmulti" "1" "OnlyInGame" "1" } "11" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_LoadGame" "command" "OpenLoadGameDialog" "notmulti" "1" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_LoadGame" } "14" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_FindServers" "command" "OpenServerBrowser" "notsingle" "1" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_FindServer" } "15" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_CreateServer" "command" "OpenCreateMultiplayerGameDialog" "notsingle" "1" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_CreateServer" } "17" { "label" "Custom game" "command" "OpenChangeGameDialog" "notsingle" "1" "notmulti" "1" "HelpText" "Select a custom game, search the internet for custom games." } "19" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_Disconnect" "command" "Disconnect" "OnlyInGame" "1" "notsingle" "1" } "20" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_LeaveGame" "command" "Disconnect" "OnlyInGame" "1" "notmulti" "1" } "21" { "label" "#GameUI_GameMenu_Quit" "command" "Quit" "HelpText" "#GameUI_MainMenu_Hint_QuitGame" } }

Command Menu

If you want a command menu like in Sven Co-op but for Half-Life 1, Opposing Force or Blue Shift then follow one of these guides, not written by me but are very good for creating a custom command menu to use in-game. Shout out to them!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1877508712&insideModal=0
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3036771444

Software Vs OpenGL Mode

As of Nov 17th, 2023 Valve has fixed Software mode with the 25th Anniversary Update.

In Half-Life and its expansions there are 2 different video modes. Software Renderer and OpenGL.
Both have its perks and downfalls, but each provide a unique way to play the game.

SOFTWARE
Software Mode is the Original Video mode that launched with WON in 1998 and the intended mode featuring the animated water, unfiltered textures and other features.

OPENGL
OpenGL is the new Default rendering mode that is widely known and used today. While its vastly improved, it has some cons that SR offer like better water, the 1998 visual pixelated visual and more

WON (Non-Steam Version)

Valve has re-implemented WON features into Steam with the 25th Anniversary Update such as the menu, viewroll and viewbob, better default settings and Software Render-er working now.

WON (World Opponent Network) is the original retail version of Half-Life before steam and came on a CD-ROM.

WON HL features many things that Steam HL does not. If you want to access the WON version you have a few ways of doing so.

1) Own a physical copy of Half-Life
2) Download an archived version of the CD-ROM
3) Play the game through Xash3D - a reverse-engineered GoldSrce engine
Whichever way you choose should allow you to experience the original version of Half-Life.

SAVE

If you're looking to wipe your saves and start a fresh playthrough or even backup saves, its super easy and not hard to find.

First, go to your library and the game. Open the properties on it and browse local files. From there you want to locate the "valve" folder then "SAVE". Within this folder is all your local saves that you can do with as you please.

NOTE: Steam Cloud will also save them so if you don't want them pre-saved disable the Cloud until you wipe the folder and then re-enable it.

Hope this helps!

Secrets & Easter Eggs

The Black Mesa Research Facility holds secrets. Many unseen and many reachable for the eyes. If you happen to stumble upon them on your journey then bravo. If not, well, here you go.

Video Soon™

G-Man Sightings

In Half-Life throughout the game you'll notice the mysterious G-Man watching over you at several points of interest and disappearing before you can reach him (without noclip).

In the case you do reach him, you cannot hurt or kill him instead inflicting negative damage and sometimes stopping his pathing making him stop in his tracks (We've Got Hostiles, Apprehension). These are all the Sightings from beginning to end in order.

BLACK MESA INBOUND
As the Tram goes downward and you come to the last room before you get off, you'll see a Tram that's stopped across from you with G-Man starring at you.

ANOMALOUS MATERIALS
In one of the office rooms G-Man can be seen talking with a fellow scientist

UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES
Right after you get the Glock and exit the airlock you'll turn left and look up to see G-Man on the balcony above you.

OFFICE COMPLEX
Right before you jump the gap to the Ladder in the shaft, a dark door next to the staircase will feature G-Man starring at you before walking away

WE'VE GOT HOSTILES
Just after the slippery floor with turrets, G-Man can be seen at the top railing before walking away

POWER UP
As you enter the room with the Garg, G-Man can be seen at the Track Controls

APPREHENSION
Across the 3 giant crushers is G-Man

LAMBDA CORE
Can be seen entering a Portal

ENDING
I don't count the ending cause regardless you see him but this is the last time we see him until Opposing Force and Blue Shift

Field Guide

Welcome to the Black Mesa Field Guide or BMFG for short. In this short and detailed guide you'll learn the inns and outs of the dangers of the Field while in your Hazardous Environment Suit and how to avoid them. Before we begin reading further you acknowledge that Black Mesa is not reliable for any injuries, or worse, death and that the HEV Suit is your responsibility.

Headcrab - Small, Low HP but can jump at you forward and backward so keep an eye for them in small spots as they will surprise you. Keep that Crowbar or Handgun handy.
Heacrab Zombie - Slow and can be taken out with 3-4 crowbar wacks or 3 pistol headshots. Don't let them overwhelm you otherwise you'll be taking a beating. Headcrab Zombies might not look threatening but when distracted they'll take their chance
Snark - Tiny, 1HP bouncing snarks that are the weakest thing but do alot of damage in groups. 1 Snark does 10HP so shoot these or blow them up at once at all costs.
Barnacle - Least concerning enemy you can encounter but can pull you upwards and negate all movement for other enemies to shoot you. Just magnum them or Crowbar them at close range.
Houndeye - Small, cute, bazillion eyed puppers that will blow your eardrums and drain your health in seconds if not dealt with. Anything will take them out quickly aslong as you have ammo...or crowbar
Bullsquid - Big and Chonky, the Bullsquid will shoot at you from long distances but are fairly weak against the Magnum and glock unless you Shotgun them up close. Dodging their projectiles is quite easy aslong as you know how to WASD
Vortigaunt - Enslaved Xenians that shoot green electric beams of energy to sap your suit and energy. You can easily dodge their beams by jumping, crouching or moving right before their beam constructs.
HECU - The Military Force. They can pack a punch if you aren't properly equipped. Grenades, MP5 and explosives work like a charm for these guys. They throw grenades so stay on your feet!
Black Ops - Fast, Agile Female Assassins that will take you out quickly if you don't keep an eye out. Carry MP5 Grenades or Satchels for quick elimination. Don't let their sex appeal distract you!
Apache - HECU Apache Helicopter that will shoot rockets at you. So? shoot rockets back! or Gauss/Gluon the hell out of it until it EXPLODES It has some weak points too
Xentacle - Big green tentacles you'll only see a few times but stay away. The only way to kill them is in Blast Pit. Use grenades to delay them.
Alien Grunt - Beefy Alien Grunts with an auto-aim Hivehand that will take you down if you don't act fast. Magnum, Crossbow and Gauss can take them out relatively fast
Controller - Floating Heads that have little health but will zap you fast. Aim for their cranium, it's not hard to miss honestly, and they'll go down.
Gargantua - While you'll only deal with them twice, they really only are effected by explosives. OR the Gluon Gun
Gonarch - Armored Testicle that spews its babies. Shoot for the hanging sack, it's only encountered once during a scripted fight so really, you're either bad or you can skip this.
Nihilanth - The Xen God. Ruler and Final Boss of the game. Weakspot is the forehead and once their head opens, shoot their brain crystal with everything you got! Gluon Gun is the best weapon for killing this giant space fetus

That concludes the Field Guide to the Enemies of Black Mesa. Run. Think. Shoot. Live

Chapter Select

CH0 - Hazard Course
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CH1 - Black Mesa Inbound
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CH2 - Anomalous Materials
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CH3 - Unforseen Consequences
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CH4 - Office Complex
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CH5 - "We've Got Hostiles"
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CH6 - Blast Pit
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CH7 - Power Up
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CH8 - On A Rail
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CH9 - Apprehension
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CH10 - Residue Processing
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CH11 - Questionable Ethics
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CH12 - Surface Tension
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CH13 - "Forget About Freeman!"
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CH14 - Lambda Core
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CH15 - Xen
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CH16 - Gonarch's Lair
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CH17 - Interloper
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CH18 - Nihilanth
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CH19 - Endgame
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Weapons & Items

Weapons
Crowbar - give weapon_crowbar
Glock - give weapon_glock
Revolver - give weapon_357
MP5 - give weapon_mp5
Shotgun - give weapon_shotgun
Crossbow - give weapon_crossbow
RPG - give weapon_rpg
Gauss Rifle - give weapon_gauss
Gluon Gun - give weapon_egon
Hive Hand - give weapon_hornetgun
Grenade - give weapon_handgrenade
Satchel Charge - give weapon_satchel
Tripwire Grenade - give weapon_tripmine
Snark - give weapon_snark
Ammo
give ammo_9mmclip
give ammo_357
give ammo_glockclip
give ammo_9mmbox
give ammo_crossbow
give ammo_Egonclip
give ammo_gaussclip
give ammo_9mmAR
give ammo_RPGclip
give ammo_buckshot
give ammo_ARgrenades
give ammo_mp5grenades
Items
HEV Suit - give item_suit
HEV Health - give item_healthkit
HEV Battery - give item_battery
HEV Long Jump Module - give item_longjump
Antidote - give item_antidote
Oxygen - item_airtank
Passport - item_security
SODA - item_sodacan

Spawning NPC

You can spawn a few of the NPC you find throughout the game including Grunts, Scientists, Zombies, etc.

Before you go and spawn NPC's you'll want to precache them by entering the command, restarting the map and then entering it again. NOTE: Make sure you have Noclip and Notarget enabled to avoid dying and getting stuck by typing sv_cheats 1 and notarget. Then type give and the NPC you want

List of NPC

monster_human_grunt
monster_alien_slave
monster_scientist
monster_barney
monster_headcrab
monster_zombie
monster_alien_grunt
monster_houndeye

Co-op

Half-Life is built as a Singleplayer Linear Experience but there are 3 ways to play in a Cooperative way with friends or others online

SVEN CO-OP
Released in 1999 only 2 months after HL1, Sven Co-op is a multiplayer/coop "mod" designed to allow you and other people to play through the Half-Life campaign and even other custom maps. Its free to own and doesn't require anything to play

COOP MOD
Half-Life also has a coop mod for playing through the campaign with multiple people. There are also some servers that run coop if you just want to join others.

GARRY'S MOD
On the workshop is a "Half-Life Co-op" gamemode that will let you play through the campaign with Half-Life: Source maps mounted. It's not perfect but is a way to play it

Deathmatch + Custom Playermodels

Half-Life features Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch on various maps aswell as thousands of custom ones straight from the server browser. With the 25th Anniversary Update you can enable Steam Networking for easy-setup and people can just join flawlessly. Or set a password for private sessions. Just click create game on the menu to get started

If you want to play on custom maps you'll need to either manually install them or get em from servers hosting it. Alternatively you can just load a specific MP map from the console like campaign if you choose. Below is the list of Vanilla maps included with the game including the new Further Data Pack with the 25th Update
Bootcamp
Bounce
Contamination
Crossfire
Datacore
Disposal
Doublecross
Frenzy
Gasworks
The Hill
Lambda_Bunker
Pool_Party
Rapidcore
Rocket_Frenzy
Rustmill
Subtransit
Stalkyard
Snark_Pit
Team9
Undertow
Xen_DM

Player Customization

In multiplayer you can change your playermodel, color, spray and your display name (NOT STEAM NAME). In Options just goto the last tab and choose as you wish

Custom Playermodels

HL1 does support custom playermodels and you can view a huge database here[wootguy.github.io]

Dedicated Server

If you wish to setup a Dedicated Server you can follow this guide Valve has made

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/081A-106F-B906-1A7A

Achievements

Half-Life doesn't have any achievements unlike its two sequels (not counting the 1 on the website) so I took the liberty and made a few as close to what Valve would do if the game did eventually get some. These are pretty simple and can be done in a single playthrough. I may or may not add more.

1. HEV CERTIFIED
Complete the Hazard Course

2. FURTHER DATA
Complete Half-Life: Uplink

3. RUN. THINK. SHOOT. LIVE
Complete Half-Life

4. DEBACLE
Ruin the Microwave Casserole

5. SIGHTSEER
Catch all G-Man sightings

6. THEORETICAL DIABETIC
Drink from every Soda Machine

7. HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL
Cause a Resonance Cascade and find Trusty Hardware

8. BLAST PIT BOSS
Scorch the Tentacles in Blast Pit

9. POWERED UP
Restore power and kill the Gargantua

10. IT'S A TRAP!
Get apprehended

11. DON'T LET IT OVERCHARGE
Acquire the Tau Cannon

12. SURFACE TENSION
Go head to head with the HECU

13. LAMBDA CORE
Reach the Lambda Complex

14. BORDERWORLD
Enter Xen

15. BIG MOMMA
Defeat the Gonarch

16. NIHILANTH CHAMBER
Slay Nihilanth

Mapping for Half-Life

If you're like me whose been in the modding scene for years and want to make maps or develop a mod as I do there's some tools you'll need to start.

1. JACK - For creating levels
2. VHLT - For exporting and compiling
3. HLAM - For viewing models
4. Wally - For browsing and creating .wads
5. Blender - For making custom models

The Whole Half-Life[twhl.info] is an excellent site for learning and gathering all the stuff you need

I also recommend checking these out.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1278840021

Installing Addons & Mods + Tracking Mod Hours

Half-Life has a vast range of Add-ons, Mods and Total Conversions but they're installed differently depending on what you want. So lets go over how to install each one in the simplest way. First lets clarify the difference.

> Mods - are custom created content such as Campaigns, Multiplayer modes or total conversions such as Cry of Fear, Starlight or Afraid of Monsters.

> Addons - can be weapon or model replacements, or overhauls such as maps/custom maps.

Some are even on Steam for your convenience such as Caged and Decay Solo Mission while others like Signal Lost and Year of the Dragon run on Xash meaning you don't need Steam or Half-Life to run it.

Installing Mods or Add-ons for Steam

Mods
> Find the mod you want from ModDB and download it
> Locate your Half-Life directory. Normally it's in steam/steamapps/common/Half-Life
(If you can't find it, rick click on the game in your library and browse files)
> If its a folder such as rewolf for example, just drag the folder into the directory
> Restart steam and enjoy

Addons
For add-ons, GameBanana and ModDB host tons of stuff to find.
> Find the addon you want
> Download it
> If its a models, sound, maps etc then drop it into the valve_addons folder
> restart the game

Most mods/addons have a README.txt so its worth reading that aswell incase there are specific instructions.

Tracking Hours

If you play alot of Half-Life mods and have noticed that your playtime for Half-Life never increases, there's a simple fix for that.

> Locate Half-Life in your Library
> Properties
> Launch Options
> Enter "-game mod"
> Launch Half-Life and enjoy

For example ~ You would put "-game rewolf" if you wanted to play Gunman Chronicles. To my knowledge this works with most mods.

Mods & Conversions

Recommended Mods

A list of mods that are above par in quality and are really well put together. Some even on Steam

Available on Steam

Half-Life Decay: Solo Mission
Half-Life: Delta Particles
Half-Life: Caged
Half-Life: ESCAPE
Half-Life: MMod
Half-Life: Restored
Hard-Life
Half-Quake
Half-Rats: Parasomnia
Zombie Panic!
Headcrab Frenzy!
Cry of Fear
Half-Life Legacy
Half-Life Cross Product
Half-Life: Element 64
Half-Life Arena

Mods

Half-Life: Anti-Climax
Half-Life: Induction
Half-Life: Dark Matter
Half-Life: The Core
Half-Life: Extended
Half-Life: Signal Lost
Half-Life: Year of the Dragon
Half-Life: Echoes
Half-Life: Black Ops Ultimate Attack
Half-Life: No Hope
Half-Life: Pieces Like Us
Half-Life: Reissues
Half-Life; Residual Point
Half-Life: Residual Life (Sequel)
Half-Life: Randomizer
Half-Life: Rally
Half-Life: Reprocessing
Half-Life: Point of View
Half-Life: Poke646: Anniversary
Half-Life: Poke646 Vendetta
Half-Life: Invasion
Half-Life: Insecure
Half-Life Is Strange
Half-Life: Recovery
Half-Life: Vertigo
Half-Life: Force Equation
TWHL Tower
TWHL Tower 2
TWHL Tower 3
THWL 20th Anniversary
TWHL 25th Anniversary Deathmatch
TWHL Bring Black Mesa to Life
TWHL Cubicles
TWHL Rat Life
Team Fortress Classic in Half-Life
Vinesauce Halloween
Vinesauce Halloween Part 2
Sector Origins: Pre-Disaster
USS Darkstar
Sweet Half-Life
Brutal Half-Life
Absolute Redemption
Arctic Incident
Cold Ice Remastered
Case Closed
G-Man Invasion
Redemption
Edge of Darkness
Challenger Deep 2
Hazardous Course 2
Scientist Slaughterhouse
E7 Black Star
Action Half-Life
The Xeno Project
The Xeno Project 2
The Specialists
Heart of Evil: Napalm
Life's End
Zombie Edition
Timeline Trilogy
Visitors
Urbicide
Field Intensity
Soda Hunt

Total Conversions

The Last Goodbye
Afraid of Monsters
Diffusion
Starlight
Underworld: Bloodlines
Resident Evil Cold Blood
Natural Selection
Paranoia
They Hunger
USS Darkstar
Wanted
Crack-Life

Remaster Modpack

Being the passionate fan that I am, I've compiled a Modpack of some of the best addons I've found to enhance and remaster the experience

Revitalized NPC - By Brusstrigger[gamebanana.com]

Vanilla Weapon Fixes - By Brusstrigger[gamebanana.com]

Vanilla Map Fixes - By Marigi64[gamebanana.com]

T.R.I.P (Vanilla Map Fixes Expanded) by - Vallasight[gamebanana.com]

Fixed Credits by - Vallasight[gamebanana.com]

HD Crosshairs by - Vallasight - [gamebanana.com]

Valve HD Pack

MP5A3 - By

The pack will be updated from time to time with new stuff or removed things that don't fit or work anymore. If you happen to record/stream with the pack all i ask is you credit me and the authors that made the addons included.

With that in mind, enjoy your Resonance Cascade!

Cinematography

If you're interested in taking cool screenshots or recording background footage thats cinematic, this guide should help out. Shout out to the creator.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1172439308

Credits & Links

Thank you for checking out this guide, I've put alot of effort and dedication into it making it the Defacto HL1 guide. Thank you to Valve for creating this masterpiece and the community for keeping it thriving for 25+ years. Below are links and other guides for your convenience.

Half-Life Website[www.half-life.com]
CombineOverWiki[combineoverwiki.net]
ModDB
TWHL[twhl.info]
LambdaGen[community.lambdageneration.com]
PCGamingWiki[www.pcgamingwiki.com]

STEAM GROUPS
LambdaGeneration
BlackMesa
MisfireSven

OTHER GUIDES
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2491488804
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308135369
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2411457446
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3401746211
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3491947382
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3305563395

This guide was created by its original author on the Steam Community. Are you the author and want it removed? Request removal.