ah yes, Half Life. The famous story about a man trying to overcome his deadly struggles of using ladders during his quest of getting back to his son. Also aliens are there
Hey yeah, who is that kid anyway? They never get brought up for the entire franchise but Sym is realistically making it the entire driving motivation of the character. What the heck?
@@arkyt1orThey explain it in the Hl 25th anniversary documentary. One of the Devs hid it elsewhere in the game as his own personal easter egg. Another Dev found it and moved it there as a joke, and it stayed.
Burt 1: overly trigger happy, goes off after witnessing some mild dismemberment Burt 2: gigachad, shrugs off a bullet to the leg, understands that accidental firearm discharges happen I'm loving the series so far Amber 😂
@@frenchynoob nobody should play black mesa before half life. its way better to play hl1 first. you get to see the roots of the franchise and see where everything started, and you can appreciate black mesa way more when you already have context and can see the huge technological advancements in black mesa compared to half life.
Black Mesa is garbage, feels like the Dreamcast/ Blue shift HD patch but worse. Half life 2 weapons are garbage compared to 1. Half life 1 vs 2 feels like fear 1 vs 2. The original art style and gameplay cannot be improved using a new engine, because the style was ruined in translation.
Ladders in Half-Life/Source games are a thing of beauty. When you get how they work they're pretty elegant, catching one while falling saves you from fall damage, you stick on so you can look all around when attached, detach by strafing or jumping and holding backwards. But they take a bit to get used to, so much so that some people (namely the Yogscast guys who've been playing the Source-based Trouble In Terrorist Town mod which features these ladders) play the game for decades still fall off them or get stuck on them all the time.
The problem is that in the tutorial they tell you to hold down the move backwards key to climb down, and that is the worst way to climb down. If you move forward while looking down, you can see where you are going.
The problem with ladders is that the controls depend on where you're looking: 1) If you're looking downwards (even if only slightly downwards) the move forward key (W on PC) moves you down the ladder and the backwards key moves you up the ladder. 2) If you look upwards it's the opposite. Most players that play Half Life, Counter Strike and other games made on this same game engine never really use the S key and just hold W while using the camera to point in which direction to go. Edit: And if you think a decade and a half of playing these games made me and other players comfortable with the ladders, you're severely mistaken, we just put up with it most of the time and repress the memories of our failures.
I think the ladders actually work great and once you master them they allow for nice tricks and offer a good balance between morement, speed and the ability to still use your weapons while on a ladder. I played HLDM for years in a clan and I think they work really well. You just have to learn how they work.
You can also press use to attach/detach, though the best way is the jump key. (edit: Actually maybe HL2 added the use of use key?). You can also use the "move up" and "move down" keys that are itnended for water (v and c by default??) as these don't change depending on which way you're facing. I spent a billion hours playing HL mods back in the day so these weird ladders are built into my soul
Small QoL hint: Half-Life belongs to a generation of PC games which did not care about frequent checkpoints and auto-saving. The players were expected to use manual, rotating save files to ensure that progress is saved, and using the quick save key (often F5) in lieu of checkpoints was encouraged. I dread to imagine your few automatic save files getting corrupted. That used to be a common thing, too, what with ancient hard disk technology and ye olde Windows versions.
lmao that ending- you definitely have a good grip on comedic timing for sure. New to the channel, found it through this playthrough, great videos so far! excited to see more
Feel free to use quicksave (F5) generously. The game is designed to be played with it. Though I advice to change quickload to something different than F6, as a slip of the finger can really mess things up.
I historically like to remap quick save to Numpad + and quick load to Numpad / . That way, I can easily save using my right thumb, but loading an earlier game state takes more precise typing. Switching to these particular custom key bindings finally solved my notorious mixing-up-save-and-load problem.
@@hyperteleXiinot a crime but certainly not the best way to play the game... I think the only thing great about the PS2 game is that it has a split screen mode that is missing on PC...
Episode title: the saga of Bert 😂 From "should I name him" to the betrayal, to "Bert 1.0 sucked" to the human shield, to "what was his name? Brian?" 😂 Actually in tears of laughter
@@IfYouSeekCaveman i feel like it might have been a coincidental timing. if its actually true tho, thats definitely something ive never noticed before.
@@IfYouSeekCaveman They do? Why would they? To most members of Black Mesa staff, the G-Man should be nothing more than another guy in a suit. The Administrator may potentially know more, but that is speculation.
Loved that perfectly cut ragequit! Triggerhappy Gordon has me fearing for these poor scientists every time you talk to them with a shotgun pointed at their face.
9:50 It's so interesting how one moment of confusion can change an entire playthrough. 😂 Because Amber thinks headcrabs are like Flood and control dead bodies, she destroys all bodies unnecessarily. And therefore we learn that HL AI coding still treats dead NPCs as friendly, and triggers the 'betrayed' behaviour. Even 25 or more years playing it, I'm still learning things about this game.
1:15:39 Fun fact! The animation of the scientist getting grabbed by the giant claw thing was infamously bugged, and the scientist would levitate like five feet away from the claw while it was supposed to be holding him. Valve only fixed this in the surprise 20th anniversary update they dropped recently
The sound design in this game is so epic. Every sound builds on the tension of the moment. I feel this game gave me more anxiety and paranoia than any game I’ve played.
Came to comment this myself. She missed him earlier on the catwalk in the first vid, there may have been other spots before but I forget it's been so long since I've played this game.
@@methamphetamelon One in Black Messa Inbound on another tram and another time where he's speaking with a scientist. These are the only other two times I can think of before this point.
@@NerdHerdForLife The scientist conversation I clearly remember. As for the tram ride, I am not cerain if that was in the original Half-Life or perhaps in Blue Shift? There is definitely one tram encounter in B.S. unrelated to "him", which I don't want to spoil.
@@At-Dawn-We-Ride In the original, you pass by a second tram for just a second with him and another scientist on board. I haven't played Blue Shift or Opposing Forces... Yet.
@@NerdHerdForLife I can recommend both Opposing Force and Blue Shift. New weapons, enemies, slightly modified game mechanics, and the alternate perspectives' unique events. Good stuff.
Just FYI the long jump doesn't actually work until you pick up a specific item quite late in the game - the tutorial on it confuses a lot of people because it's a lot less important to the game than it makes it seem like it is.
I love seeing that first encounter with the soldier in "We've Got Hostiles" still being every bit as effective in its story-telling as it was back in the day. And taking that moment to reflect back on the G-Man and start asking questions about him is just choice. Half-Life feels timeless. Love the Let's Play, keep up the good work 😊
absolutely timeless. basically every game since has used elements of design it established. almost a shame she wasn't more cautious, as that's what lets their ai really kill you a few times and make them even more initially intimidating, as it was quite impressive at the time. Plus this game's sound effects and weapon animations really help sell it.
One practical tip besides the ladders and quicksave - most weapons have an alternate fire with the R2 mouse button. Super handy if you want to really unload both barrels on a headcrab!
I was so happy to see you playing this. When you looked up best games ever and this popped up, they weren't lying. This changed everything when it came out, I still remember being stunned by it on my cousin's 90s PC. The atmosphere, the level design, the sound design and the fact there were no loading screens were all captivating. I think you'll love it. Thanks for all your videos this year, Amber. I'm so glad you stuck with UA-cam, I know you were having second thoughts around Bloodborne time, but you've become my favourite UA-camr. I just love how you play games with a smile on your face, so please keep doing it and your channel will inevitably grow. Have a great xmas and new year, and I hope for more great games next year (STALKER and The Witness!!!)
I both feel sorry and congratulate you for trying half-life. It took me 16 hours to finish it, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's rambo, die hard, indiana jones, jurassic park all in one.
Ok, I just discovered your channel because you're playing Half-Life. That is supremely awesome. I played this back when it was new(I'm very old), and it's so cool to see it through the eyes of a new player like you! This game is dated, but it still holds up! As paradoxical as that seems. Valve is amazing at environmental storytelling. In this game, you fight a lot of aliens and monsters and soldiers, but the Black Mesa facility itself is your true enemy. It's so inscrutably huge and Gordon's entire objective is to find his way across this impossibly crazy, enormous space. I definitely think that the opening tram ride at the very beginning of the game was your primer of what this game was going to be. You go so deep underground and see so many different crazy environments and experiments, it's foreshadowing Gordon's whole journey finding his way back out.
So happy I found you Amber. Such a treat to watch you playing this classic game for the first time ^^ Also the monsters names are Hound eye, Bullsquid and headcrabs.
While Gordon is certainly the game's protagonist, his being half an hour late did not cause the resonance cascade event which devastated the Black Mesa facility. 😛
I am wondering if the game ever mentions that most weapons have an alternate fire feature, or if that was only implied by means of the keyboard-and-mouse bindings (i.e. the configuration settings menu)? Amber has not used helpful features like the shotgun double blast or the SMG grenade launcher so far, making certain fights harder than I remember them. The tranquiliser crossbow's alt-fire is something without which I would truly struggle.
I should have been clearer: Beyond the tutorial requiring the use of the SMG's under-barrel grenade launcher, does Half-Life clearly spell out that the shotgun and other, more exotic weapons come with alternate fire modes? I seem to remember that players can only discover this by experimenting.
Everytime Amber goes like "Oh, I see what's happenning..." I immediately follow up in my head with "...here, you're face to face with greatness, and it's strange" :D
Haha, yes, the ladders are very finnicky in the Half-Life universe. When I want to go down a ladder, I always do best when I look straight down, because then you can use the forward button to go down and you can actually see where you're going. All thanks to Freeman's bendable neck! Also, you can use "Q" to switch between the last used weapon and the current one. Very helpful! You're doing great, Amber! Love the playthrough! Happy Holidays to you!
Lifesaving ladder tip, so you can get back to your son. If you want to move up, just look up and go forvard. If you want to move down, then look down and go forward. Its all about camera, not keyboard. The same about when you want to get out of water etc
Remember, most of the guns have an alt fire mode with right click. For example glock shoots full auto with right click, which is great in panic situations
Yes the ladders are certainly one of the challenges to get use to in this game, but you got this, Amber! Really enjoying this series already. Every area is bringing memories of playing back for me and I'm having lots of fun which is much needed right now. Hope you have a great weekend, Amber.
I hope this doesn't come across as backseating, but if you play with keyboard, you don't have to cycle through your weapons. Each weapon can be bound to a key (ie. crowbar should be 1, pistol should be 2, etc). PS. RIP Burt (1998-2024)
If memory serves, it's not a strict one keypress, one weapon. Rather each weapon group is bound to a number, and pressing that number repeatedly cycles through that group - so, currently, 3 brings up the rifle, while 33 brings up the shotgun (having to click left mouse button to confirm in either case)
@@MrWestNileVirus There's a tradeoff between number of keypresses and number of different keys, paticularly since there are fourteen weapons in the game, which means you'd run out of numbers if you tried tying a single weapon to each number key. As it is, the game's weapons are attached to numbers 1-5 (which also means you can reach any of them without having to take your hand entirely away from WSAD like you would with, say, 9 or 0), with some logic to their grouping - crowbar (melee), handguns, combat firearms, heavy weapons, and throwable weapons. The idea of pressing the same weapon select key more than once to cycle between related weapons goes back (at least) to Doom 2, where the returning shotgun was joined by the super shotgun, with the 3 key switching between them when you had either selected.
RIP Burt. You were not forgotten (for like 15 minutes). I’m loving this series, it’s amazing! Rage quitting because of ladders is so relatable, yet it still took me off guard so much that I couldn't stop laughing.
HI QOL suggestion! In both HL games, pressing Q selects your last used weapon. Very useful because you can set up quick swapping between a primary and secondary weapon. For example, using the smg as your main gun, pressing Q to quick select the grenades, then pressing Q again to go back to your SMG. Makes fighting a much more streamlined experience.
It's fun watching you play! My only suggestions: when you're at a safe point with good health, make a spare save, just in case. Good use of a grenade later in the episode! The blue laser TripMines will explode if a breakable crate is opposite them and the crate is destroyed.
Loving this series! I was 11 when Half Life came out but didn't have a computer then, didn't get to play it until I was 13, very low framerate on the lowest graphics settings and the loading "glitches" took about 30 seconds each. Great memories, absolutely loving watching someone experience this core memory of mine for the first time. Hoping you go on to play Half Life 2 and Portal if you haven't already, after this. (I built my first PC when I was 18 after a couple years saving up and birthday money just so I could play HL2!)
Was replaying the game during the anniversary and oh boy have we improved on controls in the decades after its release. Feels like Gordon is on rollerskates. Still a GOAT game for the whole concept and sound design.
Blast Pit really is a skill check for jumping and ladders, not to mention stealth. Many people struggle with the ladders too, so my only advice is to try to look straight at the wall/ladder so you don't drift left or right and fall off.
after speedrunning this game for a few years now, I just realized how much of the game I haven't even touched lmao (i've played alot of HL1 through my entire life but never did a full playthrough to the end)... it's very interesting to see what how much is skipped from 36min to 1h6min when you make the scientist open the doors for you.. it's kinda cozy watching someone play normally for the very first time hehe +1 from random youtube suggestion
Ladders were a bit tricky in general, and with you using a gamepad, lining up to use them is probably even more awkward - Half-Life Source supposedly has improved controller support, but the game originally was designed around keyboard and mouse so things like that are likely always going to be awkward with a controller. I've used WASD + mouse for FPS games since the mid to late 90's so of course it's old hat for me, but I think if you get used to it you'll find you can move and aim far quicker, smoother than with gamepad.
something about ladders is that you don't have to press a button to interact with them. If your character touches a ladder, then the ladder mechanic is working. So you can jump onto ladders from a distance, which is something you will need to do in this game.
God, these sound effects bring back SOOOO many memories. Also, I'm with you on the Controller vs Keyboard debate. I Actually starting gaming on keys, including playing this game and its sequel on an old potato laptop, but I eventually bought a used PS3 and have been console only for so long, it now feels super awkward to go back. I also feel like controllers have been engineered to be as ergonomic and intuitive as possible, whereas keyboards and mice haven't changed much, and still have to retain their non-gaming functionality, so you have tons of unused keys to accidentally fat-finger while searching for the ones you want. I remember mouse aiming to be easier for shooters, but i've lost that muscle memory, so its awkward for me. And now whenever I try keyboard controls i find my hands and wrists start hurting immediately. I know I could probably buy fancy gaming gear and adjust my desk and chair and all that, but... I already have a half dozen working controllers, and those just sit comfortably in my lap, and don't usually hurt my hands unless i'm playing something excessively button-mashy for hours at a time. ( I love it to death, but Metal Gear Rising was rough.)
Oh, and you have to play Black Mesa too, after you finish this game. It started out as a fan-made remake mod of Half-Life 1, but it had such enormous dedication and talent behind it that Valve hired all the modders and decided to sell it as a retail product. And it is INCREDIBLE. And since you're playing Half-Life 1, you will have tremendous appreciation of Black Mesa!!! It is an amazing and loving re-creation of Half-Life that takes it so much farther than you can even imagine!!
Y'know the type of game bosses that torment you throughout the entire game, coming back to life again and again until the final battle? In this game they're called "ladders."
Remember to: - Save often, use quick save and quick load - Break all boxes, many have supplies - Learn and use the secondary fire on weapons - Learn the longjump technique - On ladders, just look up or down and press forward
One more thing to mention about ladders is, they respond to the Use key (default E). If you haven't already magnetized Gordon's shoes to the ladder by just walking against them, pressing Use will latch/unlatch him from the ladder as well
Symbalily calling the guard Bert (or Burt) without realizing how darn close she is to his actual name, Barney, is very funny to me :p And watching HL1 brings back many good and a few scary memories, what a great game this still is.
She said "get back to my son" and I assumed she was making a joke that was just going over my head and I was about to move on, then I remembered the picture in Gordons locker at the start lmao.
One neat fact about the game's story: it was loosely based on Stephen King's The Mist. Very loosely. What they share in common is that scientists at a remote base open a portal to another dimension and the alien ecology comes into our world.
quick tip: the q key can be used to switch between your current weapon and last selected weapon. I see you keep manually using the weapon menu to switch between crowbar and pistol.
3:57 He HAS a name ! He's Barney, all the security guards are Barney, they were born as sextuplets. 24:11 Leave him alone ! He's the best hypnotist on Mars ! 30:00 T I M I N G !
@@P5YcHoKiLLa i wouldnt call them all barney even if they do all have the same texture lol. theyre just security guards. and you can tell that most of them talk to you formally, calling you "mr. freeman," while just a few, including the one that follows you through a short bit of the game calls you gordon and is a lot more comedic. that one i would assume to be barney.
I remember back in the day "Blast Pit" took me a little bit to figure out. You doing great so far with picking up on the hints! I also just learned that you can reopen fire doors, I had no idea all this time! Hahahaha I always just did my best to not set them off. 🤣🤣 (Also re-installed and am going to play it again, I think as well as Opposing Force, and Blue-Shfit) The nostalgia is too stronk! Haha
32:54 Just before the hallway with the jump to the elevator, go to your right and look through the door’s window. G-Man will appear and look at Freeman for a few seconds before leaving. 44:11 Missed seen the G-Man, On a catwalk just after the part with the turrets, water and scientists (that like to get shot by said turrets), and just before dealing with the trip-mine. He will leave if you go too far into the room.
How to use ladders in Half-Life: 1. touch the ladder so you are attached to them 2. look towards the direction you want to go 3. press forward to move forward (towards where you look), press backwards to move backwards 4. press jump to jump away from the ladder or touch the ground, look away from the ladder and press forward Additional tips: don't look directly at the ladder while being attached to them, look up or down. There are some tricks to be able to gain speed from ladders and climb twice as fast but it's not easy to expain and not neccessary to do. I try to explain anyway... While being attached to a ladder look up slightly (~33 deg), then turn your character to the right by ~45 deg so the ladder is on the front-left to yourself. Then press and hold forward and left at the same time to move up the ladder with high speed.
Not just you with the ladders. This was just how they were back then and is why nowadays they're mostly latch on/off with a button press or a canned animation. Progress! :p
![The CHAOS continues - My first time playing Half Life! [3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OcNZtqA3EBA/mqdefault.jpg)
![The CHAOS continues - My first time playing Half Life! [3]](/img/tr.png)
![Well, this level hurt... alot :) - Half Life [5]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jRgEpJ6dG3Q/mqdefault.jpg)
ah yes, Half Life. The famous story about a man trying to overcome his deadly struggles of using ladders during his quest of getting back to his son. Also aliens are there
people are dying and now there's toilets
Hey yeah, who is that kid anyway? They never get brought up for the entire franchise but Sym is realistically making it the entire driving motivation of the character. What the heck?
@@jeffreywells1832 the kid irl is the baby of one of the game's devs. It's more like an easter egg
This could be one of those "explain a plot badly" things tbh.
@@arkyt1orThey explain it in the Hl 25th anniversary documentary. One of the Devs hid it elsewhere in the game as his own personal easter egg. Another Dev found it and moved it there as a joke, and it stayed.
29:52 "Luckily for them, I don’t get fooled easily-now, do I? Huwhaaaht?!!" 🤣
That was an awesome timing xD
Burt 1: overly trigger happy, goes off after witnessing some mild dismemberment
Burt 2: gigachad, shrugs off a bullet to the leg, understands that accidental firearm discharges happen
I'm loving the series so far Amber 😂
...your comment marked 3 weeks ago, video uploaded 1 day ago .... ?!!...
@@AkelasanAK she shares videos early for subscribers!
there is something about the graphics in this game... even though i have never played this, it makes me nostalgic! it's so cozy!
Mirandalorian Black Mesa playthrough when
@@frenchynoob nobody should play black mesa before half life. its way better to play hl1 first. you get to see the roots of the franchise and see where everything started, and you can appreciate black mesa way more when you already have context and can see the huge technological advancements in black mesa compared to half life.
@@notraeon agreed but some people don't have the patience to slug through a 25 yo game just to "appreciate another game better".
Black Mesa is garbage, feels like the Dreamcast/ Blue shift HD patch but worse. Half life 2 weapons are garbage compared to 1. Half life 1 vs 2 feels like fear 1 vs 2. The original art style and gameplay cannot be improved using a new engine, because the style was ruined in translation.
@@JohnDoe-ip3oq weak bait try harder
Ladders in Half-Life/Source games are a thing of beauty. When you get how they work they're pretty elegant, catching one while falling saves you from fall damage, you stick on so you can look all around when attached, detach by strafing or jumping and holding backwards.
But they take a bit to get used to, so much so that some people (namely the Yogscast guys who've been playing the Source-based Trouble In Terrorist Town mod which features these ladders) play the game for decades still fall off them or get stuck on them all the time.
I like that you've tried to obscure his shame by naming all of the Yogscast, but we know you mean Duncan lol
The problem is that in the tutorial they tell you to hold down the move backwards key to climb down, and that is the worst way to climb down. If you move forward while looking down, you can see where you are going.
The problem with ladders is that the controls depend on where you're looking:
1) If you're looking downwards (even if only slightly downwards) the move forward key (W on PC) moves you down the ladder and the backwards key moves you up the ladder.
2) If you look upwards it's the opposite.
Most players that play Half Life, Counter Strike and other games made on this same game engine never really use the S key and just hold W while using the camera to point in which direction to go.
Edit: And if you think a decade and a half of playing these games made me and other players comfortable with the ladders, you're severely mistaken, we just put up with it most of the time and repress the memories of our failures.
When I see any platforms or ladders in a source game, I just see it as a save point lol
Ladders are actually the most dangerous enemy in Half-Life!
Ladders and ice skating are physics engine bugs from quake, never fixed to sell the sequel. Fps based. Xash3d probably fixes it better than valve.
I think the ladders actually work great and once you master them they allow for nice tricks and offer a good balance between morement, speed and the ability to still use your weapons while on a ladder. I played HLDM for years in a clan and I think they work really well. You just have to learn how they work.
You can also press use to attach/detach, though the best way is the jump key. (edit: Actually maybe HL2 added the use of use key?). You can also use the "move up" and "move down" keys that are itnended for water (v and c by default??) as these don't change depending on which way you're facing.
I spent a billion hours playing HL mods back in the day so these weird ladders are built into my soul
Small QoL hint: Half-Life belongs to a generation of PC games which did not care about frequent checkpoints and auto-saving. The players were expected to use manual, rotating save files to ensure that progress is saved, and using the quick save key (often F5) in lieu of checkpoints was encouraged. I dread to imagine your few automatic save files getting corrupted. That used to be a common thing, too, what with ancient hard disk technology and ye olde Windows versions.
I believe F6 is the quicksave key in HL1, and F7 is quickload.
Woe betide the unfortunate soul who hits quicksave when they meant to hit quickload...
lmao that ending- you definitely have a good grip on comedic timing for sure. New to the channel, found it through this playthrough, great videos so far! excited to see more
You're so much fun to watch Amber. So thankful for your channel!👍
The security guards are all called barney. ALL OF THEM LOL.
clones
Except for Benrey
Feel free to use quicksave (F5) generously. The game is designed to be played with it.
Though I advice to change quickload to something different than F6, as a slip of the finger can really mess things up.
I historically like to remap quick save to Numpad + and quick load to Numpad / . That way, I can easily save using my right thumb, but loading an earlier game state takes more precise typing. Switching to these particular custom key bindings finally solved my notorious mixing-up-save-and-load problem.
Half-life, teaching people gaming with mouse and keyboard since 1998
I also played Half-Life on PlayStation 2 though.
@@hyperteleXiinot a crime but certainly not the best way to play the game... I think the only thing great about the PS2 game is that it has a split screen mode that is missing on PC...
werd
my dad gave me his old disc that i dont think he ever played when i was like 6 and could not figure out wasd in the pc wall-e game
8:25 You made a connection here that I, in my nearly 15 years of playing this game, never thought of.
"I wish Burt was here, he really liked shooting these things, .... and my face" 😆
8:53 D: rip Burt
11:08 meet the new Burt, who totally doesnt judge
Episode title: the saga of Bert 😂
From "should I name him" to the betrayal, to "Bert 1.0 sucked" to the human shield, to "what was his name? Brian?" 😂 Actually in tears of laughter
All these years I didn't know that security staff can be triggered by desecrating a corpse. Then again, I never committed this particular act...
I did, just not in front of them, so I also didn't know.
I never knew the NPCs scream if they see the G-man.
@@IfYouSeekCaveman i feel like it might have been a coincidental timing. if its actually true tho, thats definitely something ive never noticed before.
@@IfYouSeekCaveman They do? Why would they? To most members of Black Mesa staff, the G-Man should be nothing more than another guy in a suit. The Administrator may potentially know more, but that is speculation.
Loved that perfectly cut ragequit! Triggerhappy Gordon has me fearing for these poor scientists every time you talk to them with a shotgun pointed at their face.
Amber is forever changed by her experience with Burt...
Screw those ladders! Anyways, lovely video and loved the style today! You're giving Snow White vibes ❤
9:50 It's so interesting how one moment of confusion can change an entire playthrough. 😂 Because Amber thinks headcrabs are like Flood and control dead bodies, she destroys all bodies unnecessarily. And therefore we learn that HL AI coding still treats dead NPCs as friendly, and triggers the 'betrayed' behaviour.
Even 25 or more years playing it, I'm still learning things about this game.
1:15:39 Fun fact! The animation of the scientist getting grabbed by the giant claw thing was infamously bugged, and the scientist would levitate like five feet away from the claw while it was supposed to be holding him. Valve only fixed this in the surprise 20th anniversary update they dropped recently
Most of us learned to PC game with mouse and keyboard on this game. Don’t feel bad for learning a new skill.
The sound design in this game is so epic. Every sound builds on the tension of the moment. I feel this game gave me more anxiety and paranoia than any game I’ve played.
The soldier AI in this game was state of the art for it's time, and still (kind of) holds up today
0:32:52 So you finally encountered... him. 😉
Came to comment this myself. She missed him earlier on the catwalk in the first vid, there may have been other spots before but I forget it's been so long since I've played this game.
@@methamphetamelon One in Black Messa Inbound on another tram and another time where he's speaking with a scientist. These are the only other two times I can think of before this point.
@@NerdHerdForLife The scientist conversation I clearly remember. As for the tram ride, I am not cerain if that was in the original Half-Life or perhaps in Blue Shift? There is definitely one tram encounter in B.S. unrelated to "him", which I don't want to spoil.
@@At-Dawn-We-Ride In the original, you pass by a second tram for just a second with him and another scientist on board.
I haven't played Blue Shift or Opposing Forces... Yet.
@@NerdHerdForLife I can recommend both Opposing Force and Blue Shift. New weapons, enemies, slightly modified game mechanics, and the alternate perspectives' unique events. Good stuff.
Just FYI the long jump doesn't actually work until you pick up a specific item quite late in the game - the tutorial on it confuses a lot of people because it's a lot less important to the game than it makes it seem like it is.
They also completely broke the physics in Zen over patches and modern CPU being too fast ruining speed. Ice skating. Anniversary patch maybe fixed it.
Yeah the Item is called "Longjump Module" and it looks like a jetpack. That Item is great and super useful in multiplayer modes.
This is slowly becoming one of my favorite series on the channel. Don't let the ladders defeat you 😁
I love seeing that first encounter with the soldier in "We've Got Hostiles" still being every bit as effective in its story-telling as it was back in the day. And taking that moment to reflect back on the G-Man and start asking questions about him is just choice. Half-Life feels timeless.
Love the Let's Play, keep up the good work 😊
absolutely timeless. basically every game since has used elements of design it established. almost a shame she wasn't more cautious, as that's what lets their ai really kill you a few times and make them even more initially intimidating, as it was quite impressive at the time. Plus this game's sound effects and weapon animations really help sell it.
One practical tip besides the ladders and quicksave - most weapons have an alternate fire with the R2 mouse button. Super handy if you want to really unload both barrels on a headcrab!
I was so happy to see you playing this. When you looked up best games ever and this popped up, they weren't lying. This changed everything when it came out, I still remember being stunned by it on my cousin's 90s PC. The atmosphere, the level design, the sound design and the fact there were no loading screens were all captivating. I think you'll love it.
Thanks for all your videos this year, Amber. I'm so glad you stuck with UA-cam, I know you were having second thoughts around Bloodborne time, but you've become my favourite UA-camr. I just love how you play games with a smile on your face, so please keep doing it and your channel will inevitably grow. Have a great xmas and new year, and I hope for more great games next year (STALKER and The Witness!!!)
I both feel sorry and congratulate you for trying half-life. It took me 16 hours to finish it, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's rambo, die hard, indiana jones, jurassic park all in one.
29:55 cracked me up, perfect example of instant karma😂
Ok, I just discovered your channel because you're playing Half-Life. That is supremely awesome. I played this back when it was new(I'm very old), and it's so cool to see it through the eyes of a new player like you! This game is dated, but it still holds up! As paradoxical as that seems. Valve is amazing at environmental storytelling. In this game, you fight a lot of aliens and monsters and soldiers, but the Black Mesa facility itself is your true enemy. It's so inscrutably huge and Gordon's entire objective is to find his way across this impossibly crazy, enormous space.
I definitely think that the opening tram ride at the very beginning of the game was your primer of what this game was going to be. You go so deep underground and see so many different crazy environments and experiments, it's foreshadowing Gordon's whole journey finding his way back out.
So happy I found you Amber. Such a treat to watch you playing this classic game for the first time ^^ Also the monsters names are Hound eye, Bullsquid and headcrabs.
29:57 perfect comedic timing :D
All of the Guards names are Barney!
While Gordon is certainly the game's protagonist, his being half an hour late did not cause the resonance cascade event which devastated the Black Mesa facility. 😛
Wow, i had no idea that guards will shoot at you if you destroy a scientist's body😂
I am wondering if the game ever mentions that most weapons have an alternate fire feature, or if that was only implied by means of the keyboard-and-mouse bindings (i.e. the configuration settings menu)?
Amber has not used helpful features like the shotgun double blast or the SMG grenade launcher so far, making certain fights harder than I remember them. The tranquiliser crossbow's alt-fire is something without which I would truly struggle.
The tutorial tells you about the SMG's grenade launcher.
Tutorial makes you use grenade launcher, but she doesn't have grenades for it yet.
I should have been clearer: Beyond the tutorial requiring the use of the SMG's under-barrel grenade launcher, does Half-Life clearly spell out that the shotgun and other, more exotic weapons come with alternate fire modes? I seem to remember that players can only discover this by experimenting.
@@makkurotatsu yeah, I remember in my first play-through I never knew the pistol had the secondary fire mode because I never tried it.
I just recently played this for the first time, definitely cooler than I thought it would be going in. Enjoy!
Everytime Amber goes like "Oh, I see what's happenning..." I immediately follow up in my head with "...here, you're face to face with greatness, and it's strange" :D
Haha, yes, the ladders are very finnicky in the Half-Life universe. When I want to go down a ladder, I always do best when I look straight down, because then you can use the forward button to go down and you can actually see where you're going. All thanks to Freeman's bendable neck!
Also, you can use "Q" to switch between the last used weapon and the current one. Very helpful!
You're doing great, Amber! Love the playthrough!
Happy Holidays to you!
Lifesaving ladder tip, so you can get back to your son. If you want to move up, just look up and go forvard. If you want to move down, then look down and go forward. Its all about camera, not keyboard. The same about when you want to get out of water etc
this series has my sides hurting lmaooo
such a good idea to play this game, it's SO much fun to watch!!
Barney. The guard's name is Barney. They are all clones, like Weyoun in Star Trek DS9.
(Loving this series, been playing HL forever!)
It's cool that you get to play as Barney in the Blue Shift expansion pack.
9:40 Silent Hill has never left 😂🤣
1:15:11 omfglob 😂😂 and his shriek seconds after 😂🤣😂🤣 *intense kettle whistling noise laughing intensifies*
This "Ladder Puzzle" game seems hard, nice to have some shooting mini game in it though...
The Half Life 25th Anniversary documentary might be legitimately good reaction content. Well worth watching either way.
Remember, most of the guns have an alt fire mode with right click. For example glock shoots full auto with right click, which is great in panic situations
30:00 You definitely don't get fooled easily ;) You can't make this stuff up.
This is the ultimate workplace safety infomercial 🪜
10:30 true, you won't forget his face, all of them have the same face.
Yes the ladders are certainly one of the challenges to get use to in this game, but you got this, Amber! Really enjoying this series already. Every area is bringing memories of playing back for me and I'm having lots of fun which is much needed right now. Hope you have a great weekend, Amber.
I hope this doesn't come across as backseating, but if you play with keyboard, you don't have to cycle through your weapons. Each weapon can be bound to a key (ie. crowbar should be 1, pistol should be 2, etc).
PS. RIP Burt (1998-2024)
If memory serves, it's not a strict one keypress, one weapon. Rather each weapon group is bound to a number, and pressing that number repeatedly cycles through that group - so, currently, 3 brings up the rifle, while 33 brings up the shotgun (having to click left mouse button to confirm in either case)
@@rmsgrey you can set it to immediately switch as you move through them at least. plus there's the quick last weapon toggle!
@@cactustactics I totally forgot about last weapon toggle! What a godsend!
@@rmsgrey It's been so long since I've played, but that does sound familiar. What a weird mechanic, but still better than manually cycling.
@@MrWestNileVirus There's a tradeoff between number of keypresses and number of different keys, paticularly since there are fourteen weapons in the game, which means you'd run out of numbers if you tried tying a single weapon to each number key.
As it is, the game's weapons are attached to numbers 1-5 (which also means you can reach any of them without having to take your hand entirely away from WSAD like you would with, say, 9 or 0), with some logic to their grouping - crowbar (melee), handguns, combat firearms, heavy weapons, and throwable weapons.
The idea of pressing the same weapon select key more than once to cycle between related weapons goes back (at least) to Doom 2, where the returning shotgun was joined by the super shotgun, with the 3 key switching between them when you had either selected.
RIP Burt. You were not forgotten (for like 15 minutes).
I’m loving this series, it’s amazing! Rage quitting because of ladders is so relatable, yet it still took me off guard so much that I couldn't stop laughing.
HI QOL suggestion! In both HL games, pressing Q selects your last used weapon. Very useful because you can set up quick swapping between a primary and secondary weapon. For example, using the smg as your main gun, pressing Q to quick select the grenades, then pressing Q again to go back to your SMG. Makes fighting a much more streamlined experience.
It's fun watching you play! My only suggestions: when you're at a safe point with good health, make a spare save, just in case. Good use of a grenade later in the episode! The blue laser TripMines will explode if a breakable crate is opposite them and the crate is destroyed.
Oh trust me, the Half-Life 1 ladders were a meme for like 2 years. We ALL felt the same pain.
The timing of Kleiner’s scream with the G-Man appearing was perfect!
Loving this series! I was 11 when Half Life came out but didn't have a computer then, didn't get to play it until I was 13, very low framerate on the lowest graphics settings and the loading "glitches" took about 30 seconds each. Great memories, absolutely loving watching someone experience this core memory of mine for the first time. Hoping you go on to play Half Life 2 and Portal if you haven't already, after this. (I built my first PC when I was 18 after a couple years saving up and birthday money just so I could play HL2!)
Was replaying the game during the anniversary and oh boy have we improved on controls in the decades after its release. Feels like Gordon is on rollerskates. Still a GOAT game for the whole concept and sound design.
Blast Pit really is a skill check for jumping and ladders, not to mention stealth. Many people struggle with the ladders too, so my only advice is to try to look straight at the wall/ladder so you don't drift left or right and fall off.
1:17 Megamind Amber at it again: Spotting the optimal solution to the tentacle room while still standing in the doorway. 👍
she's OP
after speedrunning this game for a few years now, I just realized how much of the game I haven't even touched lmao (i've played alot of HL1 through my entire life but never did a full playthrough to the end)... it's very interesting to see what how much is skipped from 36min to 1h6min when you make the scientist open the doors for you.. it's kinda cozy watching someone play normally for the very first time hehe +1 from random youtube suggestion
Ladders were a bit tricky in general, and with you using a gamepad, lining up to use them is probably even more awkward - Half-Life Source supposedly has improved controller support, but the game originally was designed around keyboard and mouse so things like that are likely always going to be awkward with a controller. I've used WASD + mouse for FPS games since the mid to late 90's so of course it's old hat for me, but I think if you get used to it you'll find you can move and aim far quicker, smoother than with gamepad.
something about ladders is that you don't have to press a button to interact with them. If your character touches a ladder, then the ladder mechanic is working. So you can jump onto ladders from a distance, which is something you will need to do in this game.
God, these sound effects bring back SOOOO many memories. Also, I'm with you on the Controller vs Keyboard debate. I Actually starting gaming on keys, including playing this game and its sequel on an old potato laptop, but I eventually bought a used PS3 and have been console only for so long, it now feels super awkward to go back. I also feel like controllers have been engineered to be as ergonomic and intuitive as possible, whereas keyboards and mice haven't changed much, and still have to retain their non-gaming functionality, so you have tons of unused keys to accidentally fat-finger while searching for the ones you want. I remember mouse aiming to be easier for shooters, but i've lost that muscle memory, so its awkward for me. And now whenever I try keyboard controls i find my hands and wrists start hurting immediately. I know I could probably buy fancy gaming gear and adjust my desk and chair and all that, but... I already have a half dozen working controllers, and those just sit comfortably in my lap, and don't usually hurt my hands unless i'm playing something excessively button-mashy for hours at a time. ( I love it to death, but Metal Gear Rising was rough.)
The last episode was hilarious and fun, been waiting for this one! Also sick Snow White cosplay
tip for ladder traversal, look in the direction you want to go either up or down, and simply then move forward.
soda bottles restore 1hp each btw. And good job not getting lost on levels and figuring what to do, actually impressive
Oh, and you have to play Black Mesa too, after you finish this game. It started out as a fan-made remake mod of Half-Life 1, but it had such enormous dedication and talent behind it that Valve hired all the modders and decided to sell it as a retail product. And it is INCREDIBLE. And since you're playing Half-Life 1, you will have tremendous appreciation of Black Mesa!!! It is an amazing and loving re-creation of Half-Life that takes it so much farther than you can even imagine!!
Y'know the type of game bosses that torment you throughout the entire game, coming back to life again and again until the final battle? In this game they're called "ladders."
Remember to:
- Save often, use quick save and quick load
- Break all boxes, many have supplies
- Learn and use the secondary fire on weapons
- Learn the longjump technique
- On ladders, just look up or down and press forward
[smashes a vending machine, looks to Bert 2 for approval]
That's such a cute cardigan! Baby blue with clouds is adorable.
One more thing to mention about ladders is, they respond to the Use key (default E). If you haven't already magnetized Gordon's shoes to the ladder by just walking against them, pressing Use will latch/unlatch him from the ladder as well
Symbalily calling the guard Bert (or Burt) without realizing how darn close she is to his actual name, Barney, is very funny to me :p
And watching HL1 brings back many good and a few scary memories, what a great game this still is.
She said "get back to my son" and I assumed she was making a joke that was just going over my head and I was about to move on, then I remembered the picture in Gordons locker at the start lmao.
what a fun playthrough, makes me really want to see you play portal now!
And that's why every game has an explicit prompt to enter "ladder mode".
One neat fact about the game's story: it was loosely based on Stephen King's The Mist. Very loosely. What they share in common is that scientists at a remote base open a portal to another dimension and the alien ecology comes into our world.
i love how she actually sees things despite having the mouse sensitivity set to rollercoaster
quick tip: the q key can be used to switch between your current weapon and last selected weapon. I see you keep manually using the weapon menu to switch between crowbar and pistol.
3:57 He HAS a name ! He's Barney, all the security guards are Barney, they were born as sextuplets.
24:11 Leave him alone ! He's the best hypnotist on Mars !
30:00 T I M I N G !
@@P5YcHoKiLLa i wouldnt call them all barney even if they do all have the same texture lol. theyre just security guards. and you can tell that most of them talk to you formally, calling you "mr. freeman," while just a few, including the one that follows you through a short bit of the game calls you gordon and is a lot more comedic. that one i would assume to be barney.
Call your security guard friend "Barney". Trust me on this.
Also, with the ladders: Just look the way you want to go and press forward
The "Running Double Jump" requires a special module. You do not have this yet, and the game will alert you to when you receive it.
I remember back in the day "Blast Pit" took me a little bit to figure out. You doing great so far with picking up on the hints! I also just learned that you can reopen fire doors, I had no idea all this time! Hahahaha I always just did my best to not set them off. 🤣🤣 (Also re-installed and am going to play it again, I think as well as Opposing Force, and Blue-Shfit) The nostalgia is too stronk! Haha
You can press Q to switch to previous weapon quickly. Can also use numbers instead of mouse scrolling.
Quick tip: There is a quick save feature in this game. You can actually save anywhere you want.
32:54 Just before the hallway with the jump to the elevator, go to your right and look through the door’s window. G-Man will appear and look at Freeman for a few seconds before leaving.
44:11 Missed seen the G-Man, On a catwalk just after the part with the turrets, water and scientists (that like to get shot by said turrets), and just before dealing with the trip-mine. He will leave if you go too far into the room.
How to use ladders in Half-Life:
1. touch the ladder so you are attached to them
2. look towards the direction you want to go
3. press forward to move forward (towards where you look), press backwards to move backwards
4. press jump to jump away from the ladder or touch the ground, look away from the ladder and press forward
Additional tips: don't look directly at the ladder while being attached to them, look up or down. There are some tricks to be able to gain speed from ladders and climb twice as fast but it's not easy to expain and not neccessary to do. I try to explain anyway... While being attached to a ladder look up slightly (~33 deg), then turn your character to the right by ~45 deg so the ladder is on the front-left to yourself. Then press and hold forward and left at the same time to move up the ladder with high speed.
If i remember correctly, it's easier to use the ladders by facing the direction you want to go, up or down, and just using the forward key
The secret to Half Life ladders is that they are the end boss and they will kill you more than anything else.
Not just you with the ladders. This was just how they were back then and is why nowadays they're mostly latch on/off with a button press or a canned animation. Progress! :p
This was so fun to watch Amber, nice grenade throws
In 1998, this graphic was revolutionary for a PC game.
while you're visiting old awesome games might be a great time to finish Fable 👍
Tip: You can use "Q" to quickly switch to the last weapon you used.
A tip for climbing down the ladders: don't use the key for moving backward. Use the key for moving forward, and look down the ladder.