Half-Life Alyx |OT| The right woman in the right place

Miamiwesker · Mar 27, 2020

TaterTots said:
We had very different experiences.

Ammo was low and I had to actually just run away from them in chapter 8. The next chapter, I got cornered by a handful of them and died at one point. I don't understand how you can just kill them all off so easily with multiple ones coming at you from different directions on hard difficulty, unless you're a real life robocop

I don't know about the next chapter but chapter 8 was really simplistic with them.

I am going very slow, I search every inch of the world for ammo and resin so I am well stocked. I don't see how they don't give you enough space to just hang back and shoot them. I would go backwards and fire at their legs which slow them down, then blow them up. They hardly even dodge, they sort of just march at you. And I never saw a situation in that chapter where they came from multiple sides, I always kept them in front and it was like a parade. That's how I experienced chapter 8. Hopefully the next is more intense.

Remember in episode 2 when they are coming in from multiple routes and you have to set traps and turrets and defend the location, why can't we have that? Don't spoil it if that's what we get later.

DJ88 · Mar 27, 2020

Spoo said:
I don't really want to point fingers at particular people or podcasts, but I'm sure a lot of us have heard more than a few hot takes already from whatever podcasts we do listen to recently about Alyx, or Doom Eternal, and.. it's going off topic a bit, but given what's going on the world right now I just feel really fucking lucky to have these great games we get to play, and I understand that people in the game critiquing sphere don't want to be pegged down as being hyperbolic or too excitable, or whatever, but right now I'm looking at this last wave of games and thinking "Holy hell, these are some of the best games I've ever seen" and I get excited to listen to podcasts and share in that excitement with them, and it's a real bummer to see that some people have these ridiculous, lukewarm attitudes to these monumental achievements. And I realize that opinions are just that, and they don't have to be shared, but I consider myself to a ... a pretty picky person, not easily impressed, and to have my insane expectations for some of these titles being blown away but to not have that excitement be seen or felt by the people I like to listen to kinda sucks, and the rationales feel hollow. Every day I'm coming in this thread and I'm seeing people having literally the time of their gaming lives, so I know I'm not unique here in how I feel about this game, but goddamn, definitely having moments where I'm wondering if some podcasters are playing the same game I am.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one feeling like this, you put it into words perfectly. Like I just wish they'd devote at least some of the same level of deep layered discussion about the negatives or critiques to the things the game excels at as well. There's plenty of objectively great things about the game to talk about, but they're like briefly mentioned in one sentence before going right back to the things they don't like.

Miamiwesker · Mar 27, 2020

Chronology said:
God fucking jeff

So many rollercoaster moments in here; "nice, I locked him in the storeroom! oh god, I have to go back in the storeroom. yes, I got the airlock open! oh god he wants to come in too. thank god I got it working! OH MY GOD HE'S IN HERE WITH ME AND I HAVE TO HIT THE BUTTON.

fucking masterful stuff. never been happier to put someone in a trash compactor

It's amazing, that's pure design brilliance.

Balancing every action you do so you don't drop a bottle is an experience impossible on a regular controller. Oh and if you go for all the resin, the things you have to do lol. Every inch of me was totally absorbed, I was opening carbonates with a hand waiting to catch something that might fall down, and I succeeded one time. One time I opened a locker to find a shit ton of bottles falling so I quickly slammed it. The gag with the headcrab dropping bottles, I caught two of them then it drops a whole crate lol.

When the lights go out and you need to activate it and let Jeff out, lol. And if you accidentally trip the alarm, my god. It's so good! I wish the whole game had as clever situations as this.

Oh and I need a Resident Evil game like this but with lickers. Please give me!

Chronology · Mar 27, 2020

Miamiwesker said:
It's amazing, that's pure design brilliance.

Balancing every action you do so you don't drop a bottle is an experience impossible on a regular controller. Oh and if you go for all the resin, the things you have to do lol. Every inch of me was totally absorbed, I was opening carbonates with a hand waiting to catch something that might fall down, and I succeeded one time. One time I opened a locker to find a shit ton of bottles falling so I quickly slammed it. The gag with the headcrab dropping bottles, I caught two of them then it drops a whole crate lol.

When the lights go out and you need to activate it and let Jeff out, lol. And if you accidentally trip the alarm, my god. It's so good! I wish the whole game had as clever situations as this.

Oh and I need a Resident Evil game like this but with lickers. Please give me!

The covering your mouth mechanic is brilliant for the same reason; losing a hand is devastating and the fact that you have to go with one hand while you're near him is incredibly tense. Amazing stuff!

dreamfall · Mar 27, 2020

All these spoiler tags ! I need to get there, only four-ish hours in, savoring every moment and playing super slow.

It's so insanely good!

Joqu · Mar 27, 2020

Is there a way to adjust your height with a Rift S? I searched how to do it but I'm not finding anything except for the suggestion to use the "reset view" option, which only changed the direction I look in

I'd just like to be able to play it seated at times, but it makes the view way too low

Sleeping Lesson · Mar 27, 2020

Finally got home and played my first hour. This is the real deal, holy shit. I've had some incredible VR experiences over the past few years but nothing like this game. Absolutely loving it, I can't wait to play more later.

TheRed · Mar 27, 2020

Miamiwesker said:
It's amazing, that's pure design brilliance.

Balancing every action you do so you don't drop a bottle is an experience impossible on a regular controller. Oh and if you go for all the resin, the things you have to do lol. Every inch of me was totally absorbed, I was opening carbonates with a hand waiting to catch something that might fall down, and I succeeded one time. One time I opened a locker to find a shit ton of bottles falling so I quickly slammed it. The gag with the headcrab dropping bottles, I caught two of them then it drops a whole crate lol.

When the lights go out and you need to activate it and let Jeff out, lol. And if you accidentally trip the alarm, my god. It's so good! I wish the whole game had as clever situations as this.

Oh and I need a Resident Evil game like this but with lickers. Please give me!

It was amazing. But I wish they actually threw a couple headcrabs at us during that segment or another enemy to make me dread having to pull my gun out and make noise. It became very easy and barely scary later on. It was still extremely well done and one of my favorite parts of the game though for sure.

Firefly · Mar 27, 2020

Does this game force a dynamic resolution?

HylianSeven · Mar 27, 2020

Chronology said:
God fucking jeff

So many rollercoaster moments in here; "nice, I locked him in the storeroom! oh god, I have to go back in the storeroom. yes, I got the airlock open! oh god he wants to come in too. thank god I got it working! OH MY GOD HE'S IN HERE WITH ME AND I HAVE TO HIT THE BUTTON.

fucking masterful stuff. never been happier to put someone in a trash compactor

I didn't try it on my first run, but I heard something happens if you let him out of the compactor after you open the tunnel.

Lagamorph · Mar 27, 2020

Ok, am I doing something wrong with the health syringes?
I've got one in each of my wrist pouches and am down to one heart, I pulled out a syringe and then...nothing. I'd swear that the tutorial one worked fine, just jab it into your hand and automatically use it, but now when I take one out and try to jab it into my hand nothing at all happens. Am I doing something wrong?

Nezacant · Mar 27, 2020

Lagamorph said:
Ok, am I doing something wrong with the health syringes?
I've got one in each of my wrist pouches and am down to one heart, I pulled out a syringe and then...nothing. I'd swear that the tutorial one worked fine, but now when I take one out and try to jab it into my hand nothing at all happens. Am I doing something wrong?

Click the button to extend the needle.

Lagamorph · Mar 27, 2020

Nezacant said:
Click the button to extend the needle.

Which button? I've tried pressing my trigger for the controller holding it, tried pressing down on the thumb control, but nothing.

jakomocha · Mar 27, 2020

Does the Dunkey video include any major spoilers?

Nezacant · Mar 27, 2020

Lagamorph said:
Which button? I've tried pressing my trigger for the controller holding it, tried pressing down on the thumb control, but nothing.

I shouldn't be the trigger. It should be mapped to a face button. On the index controller its the A button.

Lagamorph · Mar 27, 2020

Nezacant said:
I shouldn't be the trigger. It should be mapped to a face button. On the index controller its the A button.

Oh yes! That's it! I hadn't tried any of the face buttons.
Really would be nice to have a little tooltip for those things when you pull them out.

s0l0kill · Mar 27, 2020

HylianSeven said:
I didn't try it on my first run, but I heard something happens if you let him out of the compactor after you open the tunnel.

Nothing happens, he just comes out and you tell him goodbye forever.

Deleted member 4494 · Mar 27, 2020

jakomocha said:
Does the Dunkey video include any major spoilers?

I didn't see anything there that's huge on its own, but there are a *lot* of locations shown and encounters... if you're planning on playing, I wouldn't watch it just to be safe.

jakomocha · Mar 27, 2020

Spoo said:
I didn't see anything there that's huge on its own, but there are a *lot* of locations shown and encounters... if you're planning on playing, I wouldn't watch it just to be safe.

Alright, thanks.

Ahh, it's so tempting to watch videos of this game because I'm not gonna own a VR setup any time soon, but I do really hope to play this one day.

HommePomme · Mar 27, 2020

Anyone else disappointed you can't crack open the beers? They catch on surfaces just like a real one would but no such luck :/

Spazerbeam · Mar 27, 2020

I finished the game last night. Was left shook and in tears. 13 years... Is there anything for carrying that bottle of vodka with you? I carried it with me as far as I could go and I haven't noticed anything.

Herr Starr · Mar 27, 2020

Joqu said:
Is there a way to adjust your height with a Rift S? I searched how to do it but I'm not finding anything except for the suggestion to use the "reset view" option, which only changed the direction I look in

I'd just like to be able to play it seated at times, but it makes the view way too low

Run the Room-scale setup in Steam VR. It'll fix things for you. I had the problem where I was hovering 20 cm off the ground in Alyx, but this fixed it.

Avis · Mar 27, 2020

There may be an ARG going on here.

Warning: potential spoilers in the links -
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/fpysgh/weird_finding_within_hla_possible_arg_spoilerfree/

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Plum · Mar 27, 2020

Just started Chapter 8 (Chapter 7 was fucking amazing). How long do I have left? Just wondering whether I'd be able to finish it tonight (starting at 20:00) or not. The Chapters have definitely varied in terms of length so far.

Spazerbeam · Mar 27, 2020

Avis said:
There may be an ARG going on here.

Warning: potential spoilers in the links -
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/fpysgh/weird_finding_within_hla_possible_arg_spoilerfree/

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Plum said:
Just started Chapter 8 (Chapter 7 was fucking amazing). How long do I have left? Just wondering whether I'd be able to finish it tonight (starting at 20:00) or not. The Chapters have definitely varied in terms of length so far.

Not long! There's 11 chapters and the last 2 are pretty quick.

HylianSeven · Mar 27, 2020

Avis said:
There may be an ARG going on here.

Warning: potential spoilers in the links -
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/fpysgh/weird_finding_within_hla_possible_arg_spoilerfree/

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

This seems so bizarre to potentially put an ARG (usually meaning something on the immediate horizon) in a big game they just released. I'm really doubting this being anything.

Randomly Generated · Mar 27, 2020

Avis said:
There may be an ARG going on here.

Warning: potential spoilers in the links -
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/fpysgh/weird_finding_within_hla_possible_arg_spoilerfree/

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

I won't click due to spoilers but oh god if true.

Plum · Mar 27, 2020

Spazerbeam said:
Not long! There's 11 chapters and the last 2 are pretty quick.

Great, thanks! Yeah I read the Chapter count earlier but was wondering whether the last few would be as long as Chapters 3 or 5. Those two were loooong lol

Randomly Generated · Mar 27, 2020

HylianSeven said:
This seems so bizarre to potentially put an ARG (usually meaning something on the immediate horizon) in a big game they just released. I'm really doubting this being anything.

This is definitely a good point though.

Lazybob · Mar 27, 2020

Spazerbeam said:
Not long! There's 11 chapters and the last 2 are pretty quick.

Cool I'm almost done then too. Just started chapter 9. Maybe I'll finish today if nothing else comes up.

Werd · Mar 27, 2020

Do you need to have the main Steam client open to register achievements/playtime or should just running SteamVR as the game has to do obviously be enough? Trying to figure out why the couple hours I played last night didn't register for achievements/time tracker. I thought I had Steam up but I did launch it through the Oculus recently played list.

Joqu · Mar 27, 2020

Herr Starr said:
Run the Room-scale setup in Steam VR. It'll fix things for you. I had the problem where I was hovering 20 cm off the ground in Alyx, but this fixed it.

I've saw that suggestion before too, but I'm not seeing the setup option in Steam VR and assumed it's because I own a Rift S which doesn't use base stations
But maybe I'm just being blind :s

Rizific · Mar 27, 2020

i just started last night and all i can say is...holy shit this game. ive been out of VR for a while now, with the last thing being played was beat saber and tetris effect. playing with the WMR hp headset really makes me wish i had a higher end VR set up though. the "sweet spot" for the headset is really hampering my experience. also with the movement options, teleport is by far and away the most comfortable for me, like its not even close. BUT on one had i feel that playing that way is really doing the game a disservice. And on the other hand playing with constant motion using the thumbsticks really jacks me up. I can only handle it for maybe 30mins or so. even now, ive had the headset off for maybe 10 mins and i still feel a bit loopy.

Deleted member 12790 · Mar 27, 2020

Joqu said:
I've saw that suggestion before too, but I'm not seeing the setup option in Steam VR and assumed it's because I own a Rift S which doesn't use base stations
But maybe I'm just being blind :s

Oculus headsets also have their own boundry system called guardian. You can change that by going to the oculus app and going to "setting -> devices -> run full setup"

Deleted member 51306 · Mar 27, 2020

Channel5News said:
You ain't seen nothing yet :)

I forgot to plug in my quest last night. I normally only play but when my son takes a nap. He fell asleep and I was so excited to get back in only to find out it was dead. Lol. I'm going to try to get through a few chapters tonight.

Herr Starr · Mar 27, 2020

Joqu said:
I've saw that suggestion before too, but I'm not seeing the setup option in Steam VR and assumed it's because I own a Rift S which doesn't use base stations
But maybe I'm just being blind :s

I have a Rift S too. You need to run Room Setup on Steam. The Oculus and Steam systems will talk to each other to some degree, but you need to set them both up first.

Heid · Mar 27, 2020

Finished my 2nd playthrough with chompski.

Not transformative but absolutely the best VR game I've ever played, just an all around solid linear experience with great environment/gameplay variety. Nothing over stays its welcome (not hot on that explosive xen goop though). Gravity gloves are so useful I want them in real life lol

That ending is the hypest thing I've ever grabbed.

Dave_6 · Mar 27, 2020

Anyone played this with a Oculus Rift CV1? If so how does it look? I used mine primarily for sim racing but stopped because of the resolution/screen door effect. I felt like I was getting eye strain from trying to see details in the distance.

Quample · Mar 27, 2020

Dave_6 said:
Anyone played this with a Oculus Rift CV1? If so how does it look? I used mine primarily for sim racing but stopped because of the resolution/screen door effect. I felt like I was getting eye strain from trying to see details in the distance.

It looks really good to me. Yeah racing games look crummy because you're always staring into the distant horizon (although I think Dirt Rally looks better because it's usually closer stuff with all the elevation changes/turns). Alyx is much smaller areas for the most part so the detail looks absolutely fine. Best looking VR game for sure.

Deleted member 11637 · Mar 27, 2020

Dave_6 said:
Anyone played this with a Oculus Rift CV1? If so how does it look? I used mine primarily for sim racing but stopped because of the resolution/screen door effect. I felt like I was getting eye strain from trying to see details in the distance.

Looked great to me! You stop noticing the screen door effect fairly quickly, and I think my sharpness was limited more by not supersampling. Again, the game looks magnificent.

Cyanity · Mar 27, 2020

Do we have any news on Valve's planned release of the Source 2 engine for creators?

Randomly Generated · Mar 27, 2020

Cyanity said:
Do we have any news on Valve's planned release of the Source 2 engine for creators?

Nope.

Wintermute · Mar 27, 2020

phew. just played 2 hours of hla. pretty amazing. small thing that i discovered, as someone whose rig is probably too old to play it properly. i was getting a message about vram struggling, so i had the bright idea to drop my monitors rez, as it's 1440p, and i think that together with an older cpu was bottle necking stuff. it worked. i went from a stuttering mess to playable at medium details. play over link using an oculus quest. works surprisingly well.

Dave_6 said:
Anyone played this with a Oculus Rift CV1? If so how does it look? I used mine primarily for sim racing but stopped because of the resolution/screen door effect. I felt like I was getting eye strain from trying to see details in the distance.

i tried it on my old cv1 and it just feels really dirty, there's a lot of screen door. i've been trying it using a quest and link, and it's surprisingly good. i'd love to try it at a higher framerate (quest is 72fps), but yeah it's what i have right now, and it's still amazing. and the fidelity of the quest is a big improvement over cv1.

Cyanity · Mar 27, 2020

Randomly Generated said:
Nope.

Dang. I hope it comes soon. Imagine the possibilities!

Dave_6 · Mar 27, 2020

Quample said:
It looks really good to me. Yeah racing games look crummy because you're always staring into the distant horizon (although I think Dirt Rally looks better because it's usually closer stuff with all the elevation changes/turns). Alyx is much smaller areas for the most part so the detail looks absolutely fine. Best looking VR game for sure.

Channel5News said:
Looked great to me! You stop noticing the screen door effect fairly quickly, and I think my sharpness was limited more by not supersampling. Again, the game looks magnificent.

Wintermute said:
i tried it on my old cv1 and it just feels really dirty, there's a lot of screen door. i've been trying it using a quest and link, and it's surprisingly good. i'd love to try it at a higher framerate (quest is 72fps), but yeah it's what i have right now, and it's still amazing. and the fidelity of the quest is a big improvement over cv1.

Thanks all! I'll give it shot as the game seems too good not to try it. I've been tempted to get an Index but I keep reading that the Vive Pro is better for sim racing which I do a ton of compared to regular VR gaming. That's why I've held on to the CV1 instead of selling it.

DuppoloGAF · Mar 27, 2020

HylianSeven said:
I didn't try it on my first run, but I heard something happens if you let him out of the compactor after you open the tunnel.

damn i need a video to see this

Deleted member 12790 · Mar 27, 2020

Cyanity said:
Dang. I hope it comes soon. Imagine the possibilities!

Much of the stuff powering the VR side of things in Half Life Alyx has already been released to developers for years now through the SteamVR API or things like The Lab Renderer. Not Source 2, but you can use Steam Skeletal Input, for example, which is what handles the hands in Half Life Alyx, in UE4 and Unity by just checking a few boxes.

Randomly Generated · Mar 27, 2020

Cyanity said:
Dang. I hope it comes soon. Imagine the possibilities!

I might actually try to make something if they release the SDK. I used to love noodling around with Hammer back in the day.

Deleted member 16136 · Mar 27, 2020

Miamiwesker said:
It's amazing, that's pure design brilliance.

Balancing every action you do so you don't drop a bottle is an experience impossible on a regular controller. Oh and if you go for all the resin, the things you have to do lol. Every inch of me was totally absorbed, I was opening carbonates with a hand waiting to catch something that might fall down, and I succeeded one time. One time I opened a locker to find a shit ton of bottles falling so I quickly slammed it. The gag with the headcrab dropping bottles, I caught two of them then it drops a whole crate lol.

When the lights go out and you need to activate it and let Jeff out, lol. And if you accidentally trip the alarm, my god. It's so good! I wish the whole game had as clever situations as this.

Oh and I need a Resident Evil game like this but with lickers. Please give me!

Had it in my mind, if I open that cupboard, and a bottle falls out .......... oh shit its actually happening, grabbed it, achievement! They knew what people would be experiencing, its great. I then put it back in and it rolled out again, missed the catch, oops.

Cyanity · Mar 27, 2020

Krejlooc said:
Much of the stuff powering the VR side of things in Half Life Alyx has already been released to developers for years now through the SteamVR API or things like The Lab Renderer. Not Source 2, but you can use Steam Skeletal Input, for example, which is what handles the hands in Half Life Alyx, in UE4 and Unity by just checking a few boxes.

Oh, this is good to know, although I wonder how much of an influx of amateur development we'll see with the SDK release.

Half-Life Alyx |OT| The right woman in the right place

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