Honestly, I’m basically making it more like the original. Nostalgia, I guess.
I’d just as soon get the orange box, a lot better deal more bang for ur buck. also i’d suggest half-life1 anthology, it’s low-priced (least it was last I checked), and there’s a nostalgia value not to be forgotten in half-life 1
Just tried the the Cinematic Mod (ver2).
i feel like i wasted six and a half hours downloading two whopping gigs of rusty looking textures. i liked the screenshots that appeared to offer NEW models and textures. …but it doesn’t really ADD anything to the game. All it does is change NPCs into…ugly people. Most of the main characters got re-skinned too. The “added” soundtrack was disappointing too. it’s good music but it doesn’t fit the game’s mood properly.
Why does everything look so much better in screenshots and videos?
What i really wanted was HDR or Bloom at least. Oh well. i suppose i’ll just stick with the original unless somebody wants to suggest some other mods.
-Kawai Tei-
You get HDR, at least, in EP1 and EP2 
What did I tell you? Save yourself some time and don’t bother with the dozens of shitty Smod variants.
Didn’t plan on it.
The only feature i think i’d want from SMOD would be the kick attack, assuming i can bind it to its own quick key. i LOVE melee attacks in FPSs! …which reminds me, now i can install F.E.A.R.2 since i caved in and installed Steam.
EDiT : Hey, i just remembered something? Can’t anyone who bought the Orange Box “gift” Ep1 to a friend for free?
-Kawai Tei-
Only if they have an extra copy they don’t want. Sorry, I don’t have it.
Sorry for sounding conservative, but if you MOD it, it’s no longer Half-Life 2. It’s something different. I’d compare it to making a fan-cut of a movie – it’s no longer the original movie.
Just tune the graphics settings up as high as possible, and enjoy. Or you can go for some extra challenge by self-placed restrictions, such as “No alt fire” or “No automatic weapons” or “No health stations”.
I even heard about an asshole who missed the hovercraft and made it through majority of Water Hazard ON FOOT…
I wish Valve would upgrade HL2 to Episode 1 or 2 standards, like they did on the XBox.
I think I may be the asshole who tried making it through water hazard on foot.
Except I didn’t make it far. It turns out radiation poisoning affects you more once you are in the hazardous waste…
Several times i’ve challenged myself to carry an item or object through the game. i managed to carry a Chinese food carton from the train to Kleiner’s lab, a bucket (or something) from outside the lab clear to…however possible, i forget. i’ve done several personally challenging play-throughs.
i think i may try that again, but what i’m really looking for is a way to fix the lighting and increase model quality up to par with Ep1/2 and other recent games.
-Kawai Tei-
I think, if I ever get a decent gaming computer, I might do a play through where I MUST transport a luggage clear through the game to the citadel, I think it might get hard when one gets to the bottomless chasms of the beginning of Sandtrap.
If you speak russian, download Kayf Life.
I don’t think you can get that through the teleporters, but you may be able to.
It’d be dropped where you first teleport, I think.
I think if the player held it (E) while the teleport commenced, It might work. Can’t say if it would or not, I haven’t tried for a while scince my current system cannot handle the source engine very well.
Indeed… HL2 without skins is crap for me…
I recommend you to DL this skins:
Pistol: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/41477
Magnum: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/20131
AR2: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/44419
Crowbar: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/41471
Shotgun: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/40784
Hands: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/46292
Grenade: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/45733
and
SMG: https://www.fpsbanana.com/skins/44055
How were you playing HL2 without it?
Some pirates gave it to him.