A few days ago, Metritutus told me about this mod, basically "HL2 with uber graphics"... I've deceided to play it.

6GB download (followed by a 6GB extraction of the split rar file) and a 10GB install later (and a quick patch to latest version) and I'm now running FAKEFACTORY CM 8 beta 2. It contain's all Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 all nicely redone. Met wants to see this and his system can't cope with it.

The minimum specifications say that it needs 3GB of RAM to run, I have 2GB and find it uses about 1.1GB of RAM when running.

I have started through Half-Life 2 first, and intend to post screenshots of anything that looks improved while I play through. I will post on a chapter-by-chapter basis, and unfortunantly, I have been unable to complete Chapter 1 yet as the map d1_transtation_05 (Kliener's Lab) doesn't load. I hope to fix this and then I'll post screenshots of my second favourite part of that game.

Now, here are my screen shots for the start of Chapter 1, I hope you all enjoy then, and continue reading while I go through the whole HL2 story so far


Chapter 1: Point Insertion
Note: A couple of screenshots didn't save properly and became corrupted (such as Barney), I will retake these and upload them later

Some is impressive, some not so. Don't think I'm going to get it - it's too big.

Anyway, they seem to have removed the civilian overalls? That goes against the plot, IMO. Also, Alyx fanservice, typical *rolls eyes*

Nice walls though.

I don't think I got a good picture of this, I'll add one when I next open it, but all the civilians have "C17" on the back of their clothes on a large what appears to be a sticker

Alyx got hit by a truck or something, I prefer her in source...

Gman looks wierd too, but the backgrounds etc look the same

Ahh, that makes sense, Si.

And DHR, this is Source They changed her clothes to fanservice stuff, but that's about it. If you're on about the grin picture, I have no idea WTF happened there.

The backgrounds are different, look at the ones inside, the walls have much better textures on.

The grin is a bug with the original game being inserted into the Orange Box's facial animation system.

However for a "WTF!??!?!", this is a different Alyx they made that you can select in the "Character Pimper"




Obviously the third one is the selected model

50 new proper screenshots this time, I'm up to the middle of d1_trains_02 before the system crashed. And the first map for Chapter 2 (Kliener's Lab) still won't load so we don't know what happens there... (After completing each game I'll make the first post have all the screenshots for it)

And yes Met, there are some pictures for dynamic lighting in here

Anyway to the shots:

Chapter 2: Red Letter Day




Chapter 3: Route Kanal



Now to do some more lol...

DROOLAGE!

Dynamic lighting!

I may say that there was a definite improvement in somethings.

Most notably the walls. I always found the walls a bit disappointingly low detail, lol.

And the improved lighting from the new engine probabily?

Yeah, the lighting is good, but I'm already used to that due to Ep2

lol yea, very true, but still when Valve get around to the Source07 update it'll be good, HL2 with dynamic shadows anyway...

Though knowing Valve they might just hire they guy who did this if not already working for them lol

I think they've already done it - the 360 version of HL2 and ep1 (Orange box) were updated. Well i heard they were Seems odd they haven't done it for PC yet.

Its probabily stuck in a queue, along with

TF2 Upgrades
CSS Beta
EP1 updating
Un-crashing hammer
L4D
EP3
Portal2

Well Ep1 will come with the HL2 one, I think, and L4D is being done by TurtleRock Studios, not Valve (they are overlooked by Valve, though, I think). I'd imagine Portal 2 is still in planning stages, so won't be taking up too much staff time, ATM. However, you are right there, they do have a lot to be doing.

css beta? :O

Of orange box engine no doubt.

There was a problem a short time ago that added a CSS Beta to the Beta subscribe list or something like that. You couldn't do anything with it and it was quickly removed, but it hints at a possible future beta, which would probably be the same form as DODS' -> OB update (as Met said).

Basically what mark said.. Their just upgrading the game in general so it has all the feutures TF2 does and possibly acheivements.. At least thats what they just did to DOD (although it still is an epic fail of a source game) although.. acheivements on CSS will be epic fail..

Cant see them being anything more than getting certain amounts of kills with certain weapons or getting headshots with certain weapons... Don't think there is much else that could be done

Most the DOD ones were X kills achievements, with a few special ones, like win a knife fight. I'd imagine CSS ones will be the same.

Yeah thats what I thought
Pretty pointless though especially if you get nothing for it and I can't imagine you will ever get anything for it..

Well it's good if you don't get stuff for it, should mean less whoring. It's more of a demonstration of how much you're played/how good you can be (if there are per round achievements).

Defuse the bomb within 1 second of BOOM!

i think achievements would be nice to have like a statsx or fbg thing. fbg is already really good for stuff like that u can earn medals and stuff, but withouth the complet whoring or camping to geth them (u only know what to do if u go to the website and only then can u see what uve done, it doesnt tell u in game, i think this is good)