Please consult the FAQ and the Reference Manual first for installation and usage issues.

If your questions remain unresolved, please email the website administrator at gtaylor at objectvideo dot com. Emailed questions may be added to the FAQ unless the sender indicates otherwise.

If you are looking for help in creating maps and models, you will also find some useful Half Life 2 resources on our Links page.

Questions:

1. Why can't I download/update Half-Life 2 through Steam?
2. Can I install Half-Life 2 on multiple machines without downloading it each time?
3. How do I run Steam in offline mode?
4. Where can I get the Half-Life 2 development tools (Source SDK)?
5. How do I acquire a screen-shot?

Answers:

1. Why can't I download/update Half-Life 2 through Steam?
   If you are connected to the internet through a firewall, you may need to ask your system administrator to open specific ports before downloading content through Steam. Click here for more details.


2. Can I install Half-Life 2 on multiple machines without downloading it each time?
   Yes, once you install Half-Life 2 on one machine, you can use Steam's backup facility to copy it to other machines rather than downloading it again. (Note: you can install Half Life 2 on any number of machines but you can only log into Steam on one machine at a time per user account.) In Steam, go to 'File->Backup Games...' and follow the instructions to create a self-extracting executable in the default directory 'C:\Program Files\Steam\Backups'. You will need to install the Steam client on every machine on which you will install Half Life 2. Then copy and execute the backup file to each machine to complete the installation.


3. How do I run Steam in offline mode?
   By default, Steam automatically checks for and downloads new updates for Half-Life 2, which requires the network ports described in the previous question to remain open. This behaviour is usually desirable, but may need to be avoided on networks protected by a firewall. Use the following steps to run Steam in offline mode:
   1. Open Steam, browse to the 'My Games' tab and select 'Half-Life 2' from the list of games.
   2. Click 'Properties', browse to the 'Updates' tab and select 'Do not automatically update' from the pull-down menu. Click 'Close'.
   3. Repeat (b) for all the items listed on the 'My Games' and 'Tools' tabs.
   4. From the Steam menubar, select File->Settings and browse to the 'Interface' tab. De-select the 'Run Steam when Windows Starts' option and click 'OK'.
      
   5. Exit from Steam (File->Exit).
   6. Disable your network connection: go to Control Panel->Network Connections, right click on your network connection and select 'Disable'.
   7. Launch Steam (Start->All Programs->Steam->Steam). When the 'Connection Error' window appears, select 'Start in Offline Mode'.
   8. You can now re-enable your network connection, and Steam will remain in offline mode. Note that you must disable your network connection each time you launch Steam (usually only once after you restart your computer) to fall back into offline mode


4. Where can I get the Half-Life 2 development tools (Source SDK)?
   The Source SDK includes the Hammer map editor, model viewer, animation tool and C++ source code, and can be downloaded through the Steam client. Open Steam and browse to the 'Tools' tab. Select 'Source SDK' from the list of tools and click the 'Install' button. After the 'Source SDK' is listed as '100% - Ready', click the 'Launch' button to display a list of available tools. Further information on the use of the tools can be found on The Valve Developer Community wiki.


5. How do I acquire a screenshot?
   There are two options for obtaining a screenshot without reading frames into your application using the DirectShow filter or C++ API: display the camera stream using Windows Media Player (see Generating Canned Video and (a) use the 'savedir' option in the URI to save all rendered frames to disk, or (b) press 'PrtScn' on your keyboard to capture an image of the desktop, then paste into Paint or a similar program.