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Half-Life 2
This is the same as the Readme.txt
*** Half-Life 2 5 CD Retail Release ***
This is the original 5 CD Half-Life 2 Retail Release (Build 2153)
released on the 16th of November 2004.
It has been fully installed and is available to run on all of the
original systems as it did in 2004. This means you can play the
games on Windows 98 and above.
Steam has been patched out and it is possible to play with bots on
Counter-Strike Source or set up a LAN game to play with your friends.
Also included is ISOs of the original CDs for preservation purposes.
You will need to patch the games with the included patches before you
can play them (see below) as the files uploaded are the originals off of the CD
(for preservation purposes).
*** Installing The Patches ***
All you need to do is extract Half-Life-2.7z and copy the contents of the Patches folder (in Patches-and-Misc.7z) into the root of the Half-Life 2 folder (the root contains hl2.exe) and override any files it asks you too.
*** Playing The Games ***
To play Half-Life 2, Create a shortcut of hl2.exe to your Desktop and
at the end of the "Target" box of the Properties menu of the shortcut
add "-steam" without the quotation marks. i.e.
"C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\hl2.exe" -steam
Note: -steam MUST be outside the quotation marks.
To play Counter-Strike Source, Create a shortcut of hl2.exe to your Desktop and
at the end of the "Target" box of the Properties menu of the shortcut
add "-steam -game cstrike" without the quotation marks. i.e.
"C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\hl2.exe" -steam -game cstrike
Note: -steam -game cstrike MUST be outside the quotation marks.
*** Installing Off Of The CDs ***
If you wish to install Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike Source from the CDs (like a mad man), run setup.exe on Disc 1 and follow the onscreen instructions. Then install GCFExplorer
(found in the Misc folder of this archive) and use it to extract the following GCF files
found in "C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps":
base source shared.gcf - C596D1BA1FEAD9A40DD0058118F58975
base source shared materials.gcf - 33648B73E732E0734E34FE3CDA09AB74
base source shared models.gcf - D147FC333F1B2B18A8E0B9354B94AFF6
base source shared sounds.gcf - 9DC57C809A92196E2674ADA87AEA0FCE
counterstrike source base content.gcf
counterstrike source shared content.gcf - D1C6EA82416EF4053E0B7E4C242D770F
halflife 2 base content.gcf - 187D516D65C617EB6FE90FB20211DEC6
The string of characters next to each of the GCF files is the Encryption Keys. They
are needed to extract each of the GCF files and CANNOT be used for any other file.
i.e. the encryption key for base source shared.gcf cannot be used for counterstrike source shared content.gcf.
To change the encryption key that is used for extraction, go to "Tools" than "Set Encryption Key".
After setting the appropriate encryption key for the file, highlight all of the files on the right hand side of the program,
right click, select "Extract" and choose an empty folder to extract the contents to. You need to extract all of the files into
the same folder to be able to play the games however if you don't wish to install Counter-Strike Source, you don't need to extract
counterstrike source base content.gcf and counterstrike source shared content.gcf.
After the files are extracted, follow the Installing The Patches and Playing The Games Section of this readme file.
Note: There is a bug in the original installer for Half-Life 2 which will cause it to fail if you don't select to install Counter-Strike Source
from the Discs.
Note: There is no encryption key for counterstrike source base content.gcf as it is not encrypted. When you extract this file, close GCFExplorer
then reopen it and open the file to easily clear the currently set encryption key.
Note: You are unable to copy and paste the encryption keys into GCFExplorer so you will need to manually type each one in as you go.
Note: Included in the separate "Half-Life 2 Encryption Keys.txt" file in the Misc folder
is the encryption key for halflife 1 source.gcf incase you wish to install the
Collectors Edition of Half-Life 2. To do this, extract the GCF file into your Half-Life 2
folder with the right encryption key, create a shortcut of hl2.exe to your Desktop and
at the end of the "Target" box of the Properties menu of the shortcut
add "-steam -game hl1" without the quotation marks. i.e.
"C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\hl2.exe" -steam -game hl1
Note: -steam -game hl1 MUST be outside the quotation marks.
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