Overview
A complete in-depth guide to tools, scripts, and commands that will help you speed run Half-Life 2
Before you start reading
Keep in mind this guide is for people who already have a basic understanding of speed running. However if your advanced and you’ve been running for years then you probably won’t learn much you don’t already know about in this guide.
Also keep in mind that this guide is not a tutorial on how to speedrun through Half-Life 2. It’s a guide focused on tools and scripts you can use to complete the game faster. If you want a tutorial on how to speedrun this game I would recommend checking out Gocnλk’s great tutorial.
Rules and banned commands
Here are the current rules for sumiting a run –
Originally posted by Source Runs:Start timer when you gain control (after the white flash from Gman’s speech).
Stop timer when the slo-mo boom of Breen’s core occurs.
We go by in-game time, so it’s recommended to use SourceSplit in Livesplit.
Console commands that are allowed: cl_showpos, toggle_duck, r_portalsopenall, fps_max, reload and kill. You are also allowed to bind a command to multiple keys(for example having jump bound to space and mousewheel). Binding a key to saving and loading(bind f “save clip; load clip”) is allowed. Any other console exclusive commands are not allowed(sv_cheats 1, ch_createairboat, etc.).
Save deletion is allowed. You are not allowed to use any modifications to your HUD that give you some sort of an advantage(for example disabling white flashes while taking damage). Using maps from different versions is not allowed, this means you must use maps consistent with the version of the game you are running. (i.e. can’t take maps from SteamPipe and use them in Ghosting)
Got it? Good.
So now that you know the rules let’s take a look at console command’s. As the rule’s stated sv_cheats 1 and ch_createairboat are not allowed. This mean’s anything that requires sv_cheats 1 to work is not allowed in a run. But the good new’s is there are still console command’s that can give us an advantage. Using r_portalsopenall allows you to see more of the map by opening up all the area’s that need to be loaded. Gocnak does a great job of explaining this and showing it off in his tutorial (See section 1). cl_showpos also help’s a lot when you need your position to be exact. It also show’s your velocity.
Timing and recording
The first thing you should know before you run is what type of run your going to do. There are 3 types of segments- RTA or SS. If your new to running your probably wondering what that means. Here’s an explanation.
Originally posted by Source Runs:Real Time Attack (RTA for short) is the most popular category around. Similar to SS runs, RTAs are done in one sitting, however, you can use quicksaves and reload them in order to achieve a hard trick. Using quicksaves also allows for doing tricks that require saving and loading.
Single-Segmented runs (or SS for short) are speedruns that are done in one sitting without ANY pausing, save warping, reloading and dying. This means that a glitch like Save/Load buffer is not allowed either, making RTA the fastest category for Source Engine games done in one sitting.
Single-Segment speedruns usually use the in-game timers so the time it takes for a new map to load will not get counted in it. They are also a lot harder to perform because the player has to be prepared for every trick and do it without failing.
Once you have figured out what type of run your doing you’re going to need something to time yourself with. Pulling out a cheap watch or the timer on your phone is fine for pratice runs. But when your doing an official run your going to need more of an advanced tool. LiveSplit is the best and most popular timer for Half-Life 2 speedrun’s. I highly recommend this myself.
Download LiveSplit
[link]
As soon as you have livesplit installed I recommend watching CloakedYoshi’s tutorial on how to use it. It may seem complicated to learn at first but as soon as you learn the basic’s it’s very useful.
TIP:
To have LiveSplit overlaping your game so you can see your time during the run, add this to your launch commands.
Replace 1280 and 1180 with the resolution of your monitor. (Don’t edit it if you have a 1280 x 1180 monitor)
Finally you need one last thing before starting your run. It’s required that you record your speedrun. If you add all your demo’s together or cut out your loading time it can take minutes off your run. To record I would recommend fraps or bandicam. If you have a low-end PC and you don’t want to be laggy while running then type “record [demo name]” in console (EX: “record run1”). After you finish your run type “play [demo man]” in console to view it again. Doing this won’t create a video file but a source demo file. Hower you can record your demo’s to turn it into a video.
Download Fraps
[link]
Download Bandicam
[link]
How to do a warmup/test run
It’s a good idea to warmup before starting your actual run. I would NOT RECOMMEND playing through the entire game to warmup. Just play through some chapters and maps that you often have trouble with. Playing through the entire game without a break can have negative effects on your run and could lead to “choking” on hard maps.
The most useful commands you can use in a pratice run –
Keep in mind none of this is allowed in a real run
Don’t be afraid to fail in a pratice run. If you mess up a jump, wallclimb, teleport, ect. then you can just noclip back or reload a save and try again. Without pratice you won’t get any better.
DO
– Pratice as much as you can until you feel like your perfect
– Take your time. Even if you’re timing yourself your time doesn’t mean anything.
– Pratice hard part’s that you don’t always get on the first try
– Enjoy yourself! If you want to see if something new works, try it. Or if you want to try to wallclimb through the map to get that achievment, do it!
– Try to memorize the trigger’s. You can show triggers with showtriggers_toggle
– Push yourself and do what you usually can’t do
DON’T
– Pratice the easy part’s that you don’t need to pratice
– Compare your pratice runs with your other people’s personal records
AutoHotKey script’s (Used for scripted runs)
You can’t say you did a scriptless run and use these scripts. They will most likley find out and you could get in serious trouble
These are AutoHotKey scripts. Meaning in order for this to work you need to have AutoHotKey[autohotkey.com] installed
All information here is taken from SourceRun’s wiki page
Assuming you already know all the speed running tricks[wiki.sourceruns.org], i’m not going to explain each one of these. Instead i’ll just be giving a list of all AutoHotKey script’s to use.
Backwards Circle Jump Script
Forwards Circle Jump Script
Bunnyhopping Script
Wallclimbing/Flying Script
Jclip Script
Ladderspeeding Script
Getting ready for a run
You’re finally at that big moment. You’re getting ready for your run. Before every run you should have a mental checklist in your mind. Here’s the most important thing’s you should do before starting a run –
- Make sure all your scripts are running (If your doing scripted)
- Make sure your timer is ready
- Make sure you’re recording (or livestreaming)
- Have a goal
- Memorize all routes/tricks your going to be using
- Eliminate all distractions
- Make sure you have time
- Be ready for all possible situations
- Have music ready (optional)
- Get a glass of water or snack (Keep in mind there are still a few cutseen’s to sit through) (optional)
Once you truley beleive your ready start your run, begin. Good luck!
How to submit a run
Congratulations! You finished your speedrun with a good enough time to submit it. Submiting a speedrun is simple. First you need to go to [link] and create an account. Next go to [link] and click submit run in the top right corner. Make sure your run is not breaking any of the rules before submiting it (see section 2).
Here’s an explanation of everything you need to submit:
Originally posted by Speedrun.com:Category – New engine or old engine. You will know if you used the old engine.
Player 1 – Does not need to be changed
Time wtihout loads – Time without any loading screen time
Time with loads – Your regular time
Region – Does not need to be changed
Platform – Does not need to be changed
Date* – The day you started your run
Video link* – Your video link (See section 3 for tutorial)
splits i/o ID – A website that shares your LiveSplit timer (This is optional)
Comment – Any extra comment’s to add
Once you have all the information filled out then submit your speedrun and go celebrate!
Other guides and donations
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