steamless half life 2 (so close yet so far)

[Midnight_Toke]

I've been following that massive hl2 thread for a while now, and it's starting to give me a headache, so i thought i'd just ask my question in a new thread.

I've done everything according to wuyanxu's post http://www.mgforums.com/forums/showp...postcount=2494

but for some reason with gizmas patcher i had to change all of the spaces " " in the gcf's filenames to underscores "_" but besides that everything went smoothly.

After completing all of hte steps, I started up half life 2 and it loaded the main screen like a charm, but as soon as i click start game, it just goes back to the main menu.

Anyone else have this problem or does anyone know how to fix it?

Thanks in advance

Clay

[burner37]

i have exactly the same problem ... but no solution yet, too

[Midnight_Toke]

Originally Posted by burner37

i have exactly the same problem ... but no solution yet, too

Alright, well since no one on these forums seems to have fixed this particular problem, i'm gonna go huntin on some other forums.

I'll let ya know if i find anything.

[Midnight_Toke]

i may have just found something interesting, As i was browsing through the hl2 maps directory, there was an absence of files. There were 2 subfolders "graphs" and "soundcache" the graphs folder is empty and the soundcache is filled with .cache files.
I dont know if this in normal but it seemed very odd

[burner37]

hmm i don't have an idea how to solve this and in other forums i didn't find anything

[burner37]

by the way, when i click on the button to start a new game, the console says ...

"CModelLoader::Map_IsValid: No such map 'd1_trainstation_01'
map load failed: d1_trainstation_01 not found or invalid"

[Midnight_Toke]

ya that's the same as me, this sucks man, i feel like i've tried everything. I hate steam, it completely ruined hl2 for me

Do you mean that yours works?

[burner37]

no ... and i don't have any ideas at the time

[Reaperbreed]

Hi, my game-version is the english DVD-Collectors Edition. Unfortunately I can´t get access to an internet connection with my gaming computer (NEVER EVER I fear). Therefore I experience difficulties while trying to make my HalfLife 1(!) Source run. Thanks to Gizma´s great gcf-decryptor (with the gcf-decryption keys within the *.cmd-file) in was easy to install HL2 and especially the not-encrypted CS-files. Nevertheless I´m still unable to install (decrypt) the file "halflife_1_sorce.gcf" while seeking a valid decryption-key. I haven´t found it here, neither it is in the "ClientRegistry.blob" posted at this forum.
Please, please... pleeeeaaaaseeee help me, I´m rather in despair since even the files extracted by the GCFScape-Decryptor seem corrupt. Maybe you have HalfLife 1 installed via Steam and your "ClientRegistry.blob" contains the valid decryption key? Is there any different working solution for my problem (I just have limited web-access in a internet-cafe)? Please let me visit City17 in HalfLife 1 Source... :graysad:
Thank you very very much in advance!!!
You can reply by mail aswell: reaper_breed@web.de

[GuitarMan]

Hey guys, thought I'd give you a little help, I finally got my version of HL2 running, although there are still a few flaws I will get to in a moment. But the Graphs folder should have 76 files all ended with the .ain filetype, mine does anyways, number of files may vary. Next, the Soundcache folder, mine is filled with a lot of files ending with the .cache filetype and .manifest filetype.

Now is my problem, to get my version of HL2 working I used the multi-patch e-mailed to my by hunter087. It worked obviously, but there are 2 problems. All of my game menu's show up as "#GameUI_---" --- being what the menu name would usually be such as Friends, Options and so on. Could somebody please e-mail me their GameUI.dll file? I think it may be a corrupt file in my case. Also, during game play, I have no HUD readings of anykind. I have no health or ammo or anything showing up on my screen...again, hopefully the GameUI file, but if not...it has to be some of the sprites for the HUD in it's folder. I can e-mail the 4 part patch if anybody would like it to see what comes out.

Thanks, GuitarMan my e-mail is krenic.dung@gmail.com if anybody might have some idea or questions.

[burner37]

yeehaaa, for me it finally works now

i used the method of dr.mad (half.life.2_multi-language_patch.v1.2.drmad) and now i have a lot of files in the maps folder ... i'm not sure why it works now, but perhaps it was the difference that the gcf files came from the dvd (german version) and not from the installed game folder

[dude55]

Half-life 2 steamless install.

My name is "daGamesta", or Gamesta, for short. After just recently purchasing both HL2 and the HL platinum collection I was seriously dissappointed after trying to install HL2 and found out Steam would not work for me. :disgust: No matter how I tried, the game just wouldn't play at all until I was regestered with stupid Steam. I hate online games that make you do that. SO hate it. :disgust:

So I decided to go hunting down the Web for a crack or patch that would let me get around Steam's Iron curtain of game registratrion/installation. No matter how many cracks I found, none of them semed to work. :blacpuz And I couldn't get online to register, anyway!! :blacmad GRRRRRR!!!! I wasn't sure if it was my end of the connection or Valve's.

It wasn't until I got a bright idea to check out the coding in Gizma's patch that I figgured out my problem. And how simple it was!

Now after several days and a few hours of ranting and murderous torture by the hands of Steam, I am on cloud Nine. And Steam and Valve can kiss my butt! I SO look forward to comleting my play of the entire half-life series!

And for those who may be as tortured as I was and frustrated with Steam, maybe this will help out.

Just follow these directions that follow in the next post and you’ll get an installation of half-life 2 that works without steam and works without the CD/dvd-checks!

http://free.hostultra.com/~dude55/HL...ess/index.html

[dude55]

Half-life 2 steamless install.

As I said above, just follow these directions and you’ll get an installation of half-life 2 that works without steam and works without the CD/dvd-checks.

First, you need following:
- Encrypted GCF files from original half-life 2 cds/DVD or from steam download.
- WinRar/Winzip archive manager (freeware)
- hlunp.exe tool (unpacker, part of this archive)
- steam.dll part (emulator, of this archive)

Getting encrypted GCF files

You'll need the following GCF's; copy them into a directory like C:\HL2\GCF and rename them to the following:

base source shared.gcf -> base_source_shared.gcf
base source shared materials.gcf -> base_source_shared_materials.gcf
base source shared models.gcf -> base_source_shared_models.gcf
base source shared sounds.gcf -> base_source_shared_sounds.gcf
and half-life 2 base content.gcf -> halflife_2_base_content.gcf

- This program should take care of that. If it doesn't you'll have to do it each one, manually. Just select the file in Windows Explorer, press F2 and eliminate the spaces and put in it's place the underscore.
- Or if you like to do it from the command prompt, type in:
ren "base source shared.gcf" base_source_shared.gcf
And Prest-o Change-O, it's magic! Get ready for the fun stuff!

- If you have installed but not activated half-life 2, these files are located in Steam\SteamApps directory. Copy all GCF files from there and uninstall steam and Half-life 2 completely.
- If you have the original DVD, then you can extract the GCF files from HL2x.CAB file. Start WinRar and open the hl2.cab file. Extract all files. Repeat this for hl22.cab – hl25.cab files. From every file extract all the files except the ones marked with “<--”.

Unpacking GCF files

- Make an empty folder where you want to install a game. I suggest something like C:\HL2\HL2_source . Then execute the provided unpackhl2.cmd command with parameters “unpackhl2.cmd <Path to directory with GCF files> <Path to target directory>”. You need to type this in command line prompt.

It should look like this:

C:\HL2\HL2_source>unpackhl2.cmd C:\HL2\GCF C:\HL2\HL2_source

If you don’t know what command-line is, use the provided shortcut. Just type in the location of your HL2 GCF files and this command.

- Wait awhile (about 10 minutes) and you will get a folder “root” created in the directory you specified. Look, there's a file called “hl2.exe” inside!
- Copy the provided steam.dll into the “root\bin” folder (it is a “bin” folder just next to hl2.exe file).
- Create a shortcut to hl2.exe file (right-click on it and select "create shortcut" then right-click on the shortcut and select properties, and click the shortcut tab) with the parameters “-steam” (change the target to say : C:\HL2\HL2_source\HL2.exe -steam ).

Congratulations, you just created a playable half-life 2 installation that does not require stupid steam or CD/dvd or internet connection to play. Notice that we never even installed steam! Woohoo! If you have it installed, uninstall this piece of crap as soon as possible. and enjoy your game!

About

Special thanks to Gizma for the tools and great idea. I had to put it all together. It wasn't until I figured out that the unpack command needed different names for the files that it finally worked for me.

This package is dedicated to Valve.

Dear Valve. Let me emphasize how happy we are with your steam service. It was such a pleasure for us to learn that we need to download and install a bunch of crap in order to play the game we bought. Thank you for rewarding people who brought a DVD with the best reward one can imagine – give them a special version of hl2.exe that has a securom protection on it, while having generic unprotected version on DVD, so people who pirated it can easily use it. Thank you for making such an install process totally bogus and irritating, and thank you for maintaining your servers with such a great availability. Please, continue to put activation and encryption in any game you’re going to release – we really love that. We'll always find a way around it...

- "..Ah-hem-hem! 'Screw all y'alls!'" - Strong Bad
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail22.html
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail22.swf

download:
http://free.hostultra.com/~dude55/HL..._daGamesta.zip

[grifjones]

when i install half life 2 with all the games, i try to join an internet game...but i always get an error saying...."[TEMP] your version does not match the servers please restart game"

[ceark]

The game works fine. It always crashes at the exact same spot though (the loading point at Black Mesa East when Alyx is taking you to go play with the gravity gun). Anyone else get this problem? any suggestions?

[MasterChief]

Originally Posted by ceark

The game works fine. It always crashes at the exact same spot though (the loading point at Black Mesa East when Alyx is taking you to go play with the gravity gun). Anyone else get this problem? any suggestions?

I had the same problem. Open the console and go to a new map (just type in map * and it will give you a bunch of choices). It needs to be a map AFTER the Black Mesa East level. once the map loads, save the game. HL2 will think you already beat Black Mesa East. Start a new game from there, and it should work without any problems. It did for me.

PEACE

[RiaX]

I tried the steamless half-life 2 thing using Dr Mad , gizma decryptor and MarkyMoo's patch ( the patches dnt wrk on their own). When i decrypt the GCF files and replace the other file i get to the menu but i dnt hav an active backround like it supposed to have and when i try to play a new game it does not play (returns to main menu). It is something im doing wrong or is the cd version (the 1 i hav) different from from the DVD that these patches wnt wrk?????????

P.S I HATE STEAM

[paradise_lost]

Originally Posted by edhack

hi everybody

I've been trying to play hl2 for 3 days, downloading Moo's, Gizma's and MrMad's patches and cracks. I've read many posts like this one http://www.mgforums.com/forums/showp...postcount=2220

but this ++++ing game will not run... I still have an error when using "start Hl2" shortcut from moopatch :
"steamstartup() failed: could not locate steam client directory for gcf archives."

It's late, I'm tired... anyone can help me?

1) Open the "steamemu.ini" file located in:
<<Directory where you've extracted GCFs>>\root
2) Find the script "BaseDir=something"
3) Substitute something with the full path where you've extracted GCF's:
<<Directory where you've extracted GCFs>>\root

I tried daGamesta crack too, and the game works fine!!! But i didn't install any patch. I have to try with these ones.... :nod:

[scizz]

ok i did everything as described above.
but when i want to run the game it gives me the following error.
any ideas?

[akritaz]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!!! THIS IS PISSING ME OFF I GET THE SAME ERROR WITH
SCIZZ!!! I PAID 2 POUNDS FOR THIS GAME AND I WANNA PLAY IT! NO ACTUALLY IT Was 3 pounds it was on DVD:P it is a really good copy. So..... MR Dagamesta can u solve this problem because i followed ur instructions step by step..... u seem to know what ur doing so please help us out.....

[akritaz]

pic test

[edhack]

hi everybody

I've been trying to play hl2 for 3 days, downloading Moo's, Gizma's and MrMad's patches and cracks. I've read many posts like this one http://www.mgforums.com/forums/showp...postcount=2220

but this ++++ing game will not run... I still have an error when using "start Hl2" shortcut from moopatch :
"steamstartup() failed: could not locate steam client directory for gcf archives."

It's late, I'm tired... anyone can help me?

[XaviarCraig]

Yeah i tried to do what DaGamesta said to do, and it seems to almost work I just keep getting this error message:



anyideas what it means?

[czajunia]

I followed the Gizma method and everything went smoothly but when I want to run the game I get the message:
"The procedure entry point _f could not be located in the dynamic link library Steam.dll" - this one I get twice, and then another one:
"Unable to load filesystem_steam.dll"
Any ideas?
thank's!

[nivek329]

Try the fixes in the first post of this thread.
Make sure you read the "How To" file and if it works, leave your comments there for others to see!
http://www.mgforums.com/forums/showt...428#post243428