Easier than "Easy" difficulty?

[Deathmarcher]

I'm planning to try and get my wife to play HL2, but she's rather inexperienced with FPS style games. Can anyone recommend a mod or script that would effectively create a "beginner" mode? I don't want to just turn on godmode for her, but maybe make weapons do a bit more damage, enemies do even less.. probably have explosive damage reduced as well.

It's not vital, but she gets frustrated easily.. and I'd really like to be able to share some of my gaming experiences with her, and HL2 is one of my favorites!

 

[ChiliFan]

You can change the weapons' efficiency using the developer console, and I think you can change the amount of health your enemies start with. Have a look here: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Console_Command_List

 

[Deathmarcher]

Thanks, I can probably make some sort of script from this.

 

[FISHY CRACKERS]

Speaking of the console, anyone know the maximum player throwforce? I'm gonna spawn a ton of fast zombies in portal playground and try to kill them by throwing boxes.

 

[Deathmarcher]

OK, so this was mainly a test to see how it would work, I made an autoexec.cfg and put this in it, put the .cfg in the proper folder, but it only works if I exec it from the command line ingame, and all the sk_* values reset to default every time the map changes.. I'm sure I'm just being stupid, but can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

sv_cheats 1
sk_battery 25
sk_citizen_health 100
sk_healthkit 35
sk_healthvial 20
sk_helicopter_burstcount 8
sk_helicopter_firingcone 30
sk_manhack_melee_dmg 10
sk_manhack_health 15
sk_max_357 999
sk_max_ar2 999
sk_max_ar2_altfire 99
sk_max_buckshot 999
sk_max_grenade 99
sk_max_pistol 999
sk_max_rpg_round 99
sk_max_smg1 999
sk_max_smg1_grenade 99

 

[tschumann]

try renaming your .cfg to skill.cfg and deleting the sv_cheats 1

 

[99.vikram]

Make the .cfg file read only.

 

[Lizardizzle]

frustrated easily in games? That sounds like my mom.

We were at a reunion one day and were playing Mario Party, so we got mom to play with us. On the first mini-game she didn't understand flipped out. It was scary but funny.

 

[ríomhaire]

You could try buddha mode. It's sort of like god mode in that the player can't die, but instead of being impervious to damage the player can take damage but their health can not be brought below 1 HP. Insta-kill triggers will still kill you though.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Why are you even trying to get your wife to play? Have her try more casual games before she's ready for HL2.

 

[CyberPitz]

Don't listen to Ace, my roomate started her FPS career with TF2

 

[Sledgehammer]

...Which is far more casual than Half-Life 2.

 

[Laivasse]

Don't listen to Ace, my roomate started her FPS career with TF2

I introduced my girlfriend to TF2 without expecting her to take to it at all, but she warmed to it pretty quickly. It's really surprising because she has trouble even with console analogue sticks and it's the first time she'd even played a PC FPS (and so first time using mouse/keyboard controls...).

...Which is far more casual than Half-Life 2.

I disagree, any multiplayer FPS is inherently tougher and more frustrating than an SP campaign. You die constantly and the human opposition is much tougher than any AI, which is all overwhelming for a beginner compared to something like HL2 which holds your hand all the way.

 

[Vegeta897]

It's really surprising because she has trouble even with console analogue sticks

Eh? Mouse and keyboard I think are far easier to learn to use for an FPS.

 

[Laivasse]

For an FPS, yeah, but when I said she has trouble with analogue sticks I meant in every game.

 

[Vegeta897]

Well you know what to do to a woman when she isn't doing something right.

...

Give her some kind encouragement.

 

[Sledgehammer]

I disagree, any multiplayer FPS is inherently tougher and more frustrating than an SP campaign. You die constantly and the human opposition is much tougher than any AI, which is all overwhelming for a beginner compared to something like HL2 which holds your hand all the way.

It's generally easier to get into a multiplayer FPS. And if she gets frustated easily, I don't want to see what happens when she comes to the first physics puzzle in Water Hazard.

 

[Laivasse]

It's generally easier to get into a multiplayer FPS. And if she gets frustated easily, I don't want to see what happens when she comes to the first physics puzzle in Water Hazard.

I dunno, I figured out that section instantly and considering my girlfriend got through Ico with very little input from me I think she would too. But getting sniped/blown to pieces half a dozen times in a row within seconds of spawning in TF2, I don't know how a beginner is expected to cope with that...

 

[ratneck]

I'd recommend portal to start with.

 

[serious_ivan]

type in the console sk_(enemie) and adjust their health and type sk_npc_(weapon) to adjust how big damage is from npc guns.

 

[Lizardizzle]

wouldn't that mean you'd have to do that to EACH enimie, or does it apply to all of them, instantly?

 

[Sledgehammer]

I dunno, I figured out that section instantly and considering my girlfriend got through Ico with very little input from me I think she would too.

I didn't figure it out instantly. More like forever.

 

[Escaep]

I didn't figure it out instantly. More like forever.

Same. I HATE, HATE it when you can't figure a puzzle out in HL2 and you spend like 10 minutes trying everything and then all of sudden you find something that completes it and you feel stupid.

 

[V-Man339]

Give her... encouragement.

As for the question... it's called sv_cheats 1 and god.

 

[morgs]

Same. I HATE, HATE it when you can't figure a puzzle out in HL2 and you spend like 10 minutes trying everything and then all of sudden you find something that completes it and you feel stupid.

This happens to me in lots of situations, even in real life.