Book Description
Modify gameplay, add textures, and integrate amazing effects
Develop intense environments, then share your design with players online
How cool would it be to build your own levels and customized weapons for Half-Life 2? This book will get you ready to mod so you can enjoy the ultimate gaming experience. You'll find out how to create your own maps, strategically place high-tech military equipment, and modify your levels for smoother play.
All this on the bonus CD-ROM
- Samples from the book
- A video walk-through of your first mod
- Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) CS2 tryout version
- NormalMapGenerator and Compressonator by ATI Technologies, Inc.
- Packrat version 0.95 for Half-Life 2 and Adobe Photoshop Normal Map and DDS Authoring Plugins
- For details and complete system requirements, see the CD-ROM appendix.
Discover how to
- Design maps and playing levels
- Load your creation into the game
- Expand your map with additions
- Include armor and weapons
- Distribute levels on the Web
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
only covers mapping.......2007-06-17
I want to warn anyone who wants to buy this book that it only covers mapping levels and has no advanced material other than using the compiling console for error detection. If you want complete coverage of the basics you can download the 3DBuzz.com video tutorials for HL2 mapping for free which will start you out with better quality examples and lead to some more advanced material. I was hoping this book would give a better overview of the advanced material you find in the 3DBuzz videos as well as other HL2 mapping video tutorials on the net, but it doesnt. As the other reviewers have said, it is an easy to understand book, but its simply redundant to all the online material that is freely available and doesnt go into the detail it should.
Very basic, but well written.......2007-05-26
I just love this book. It explained things clearly and was just what I needed to start modding. I never made any mod before, so I was a complete noob to this subject. And if you want to benefit from this book, you better be a noob too. The book explains the very basics of modding, you will not learn modelling, programing nor you will work with 3rd party (yours) models and props. You will learn simple map creation and texturing (using half life 2 native textures). So, if you need to know how to start modding - this book will deliver. If you can make your own basic rooms but need to optimize them, this book is for you too. However, if you can make your own basic optimized room, there's not much for you in this book.
Worth $20, but be prepared..........2007-04-01
Half-Life 2 Mods for Dummies is a bit of a mixed bag. Much of the information contained within the book is available on the web for free, but there is something to be said for containing a solid amount of beginning information in one volume. It's also one of the few HL2 modding resources in print, and Guilfoyle has some genuinely solid tips and tricks for level building quickly. Still- I can't wholeheartedly recommend it to the entirely new modder as there are a number of critical typos and incorrect file paths. Buyer beware- make sure you know your general way around Valve's file trees before plunging into this book thinking it will guide you flawlessly.
Guilfoyle does an admirable job of writing in a clear and concise manner. The book will tell you exactly what to do to build a basic level and give it some more advanced spit and polish, but that's also about all it does. "HL2 Mods for Dummies" rarely gets into the nuts and bolts of why certain functions do what they do. "Do this, then this, then this, and you'll end up with this..." is the modus operandi. A bit more information on why Valve's powerful editors do what they do would have been helpful.
I don't mean to be too hard on what is a good beginning guide. If you don't want to spend days wading through the fragmented tutorials on the web, this is a fine place to start. The price is right and I'm tempted to give it four stars because of the cost and the singular place it occupies in print, but...
Great book for beginners.......2007-03-04
Half Life 2 Mods for Dummies is a great beginners guide for modding the Half Life 2 game. While the book focuses mainly on mapping, you learn how to create maps, make custom textures for your map and how to finish and pack up your map to show the world. I bought this book to expand my knowledge of Half Life 2 modding and I did learn some new stuff. Half Life 2's Source is a very powerful engine: you can get started modding it using this book.
Book Description
·Unprecedented access behind Half-Life and Half-Life 2
·A forward by Valve founder Gabe Newell
·Hundreds of art, design, preproduction, and other art pieces crammed into the book
·Over a dozen key members of Valve's staff interviewed
·Officially approved by Valve
·Behind City 17 and other locations
·The development of the Source engine
·A rogue's gallery of beasts, characters, and monstrosities
·Key weapons development revelations
·A tour of many of the game's locations, from inception to completion
·Filled with art, screens, and anecdotes from the Valve team
Customer Reviews:
Lots of cool Pictures inside.......2007-01-20
This book doesn't really talk much about anything on Source or the people creating the game. It focuses mainly on the process of how different elements in the game came out. With lots of concept and rendered art, it's good to have it around for inspiration or just plain viewing. The book also gives some information on Half-Life 1 and Mods, though these sections still give lots of cool pictures and very little text in comparison.
Half-life - More please.......2006-03-02
This book reveals what goes on behind-the-scenes at Valve and how the PC / Console game - Half-Life and Half-Life 2 has developed over time.
I am huge Half-Life fan and this book shows how much work and thought goes into producing a genre-defining / award-winning game. One of the highlights for me in the book was how they created the faces of the characters in the game. A wonderful book with a lot of interesting facts. It is also a large book which shows off the artwork to great effect. I am really pleased I bought it and would recommend it to any fan of the game.
Great book, but with limited appeal........2005-12-05
As the review below states this book isn't a behind-the-scenes book or a chronicle of the development of the game nor is it a book discussing the technological merits of Half Life 2 or the Source Engine. Although, it does contain elements of all of the afformentioned parts, it is in the end an art book, but a great one at that with great color, a sturdy build, and a clean uncluttered design.
As a fan of the game myself, I enjoyed seeing all the places and ideas that never made it into the game and the evolution and design of those that did. One area, I feel the book ought to and should have delved into more, was the development and evolution of the plot itself which except in reference to other points was never brought up significantly.
Fans of the Half Life franchise and people interested in the creative development of games will find this book of interest. Others may want to pass on it.
Great pictures, not much else.......2005-07-22
I guess I was looking for more of the details behind the making of Half-life 2, not just tons of concept art. The artwork is very nicely presented in rich glossy color, but the behind the scenes content isn't there. If you want a better book for looking behind the scenes of a computer game, get the Doom 3 Making Of book instead.
Great Book, Specially if you liked the game........2005-04-06
When i got the book i wasnt expecting such a huge book. Anyway the book was great and it has alot of pictures and concept arts and cut monsters and scenes ! All in high quality gloss paper. This although doesnt give a very detailed descriptions about the engine and contains almost no pictures of the valve team who i wanted to see very much. I recommend this if you played HL2 and loved it and wants more insight of the game (not the engine but art)
Book Description
Game engines are rapidly becoming more powerful and the practice of modding (customizing a game and its levels and other assets) to tailor the game to the player's desires is growing exponentially. Half-Life 2 provides an incredibly versatile game engine and modding tools that game players and developers can readily use to change the game itself by doing everything from tweaking parts of the game to creating entirely new games, 3D environments, and simulations. In Mapping and Modding Half Life 2, readers will learn how to create amazing mods using innovative techniques developed by the author. The book shows, step-by-step, how to create new maps, textures, characters, 3D objects, weapons, audio effects, game action, and much more. Readers will learn how to start out by creating new maps and models and then learn basic techniques of coding to create useful mods. The second part of the book features more advanced techniques as readers learn how to expand their skills and develop more sophisticated models and 3D action. The book also covers other important areas of mod development including creating and managing a mod development team, working with fans, and using skills to develop a professional career in game development.
Customer Reviews:
WASTE OF MONEY.......2007-05-08
So I ordered this book almost A YEAR AGO. Tim Holt has pushed it back an entire year now, screw the source engine, going back to Unreal. And Amazon has horrible customer service. What kind of store has a BOOK up for pre-order for an ENTIRE year. Waste of time and money.
Average customer rating:
- Just Twisted Enough to Be Gotham
- WOW
- DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!!
- An Excellent Read
|
Gotham Central Vol. 2: Half a Life (Batman)
Greg Rucka
Manufacturer: DC Comics
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Similar Items:
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Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty (Batman)
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Gotham Central Vol. 3: Unresolved Targets (Batman)
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Gotham Central Vol. 4: The Quick and the Dead (Batman)
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Gotham Central Vol. 5: Dead Robin (Batman)
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52, Vol. 1
ASIN: 1401204384 |
Book Description
The second volume of this Eisner Award-winning series shifts the spotlight to detective Renee Montoya. Shes a damn fine cop but keeps her private life to herselfthat is, until someone reveals her secret while implicating her in a murder. The investigation redefines Montoyas relationship with her colleagues as well as with one of Gothams most notorious rogues. Bonus features consist of two stories providing additional details on Montoya, including the first comic written by Greg Rucka.
Customer Reviews:
Just Twisted Enough to Be Gotham.......2007-06-11
All the characters play out their roles in perfect pitch. The story throws Montoya's life through the wringer and the reasoning behind it just feels, well, twisted enough to make sense in Gotham. I liked the gritty cop's-life tale-telling style and the art complimented the story well. Overall, I loved this particular issue...
WOW.......2006-04-25
Gotham Central: Half a Life is about Gotham cop Renee Montoya. Montoya comes from a traditional Hispanic family. Her parents own a grocery. Their constant concern is that their only daughter is not eating enough, and when is she going to get married and give them grandchildren? That is a big problem for Renee, who is a lesbian and secretly dating a female chef.
When photos appear at work, Renee is mocked and scorned by her co-workers. Her brother confronts her - doesn't she know this will kill their parents? Tell them the photos were doctored, begs Renee. But things go from bad to worse when Renee is framed for the murder of the creep taking the photos. If she didn't do it, who did? And what does Two-Face have to do with this?
The story is right after the year-long No Man's Land storyline that took up the entire Batman comic line for the year of 1999. The beginning of Half a Life contains references to life during and after the federal designation of Gotham City as a condemned disaster area. Highly recommend the five No Man's Land GNs if you haven't read it.
DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!!.......2005-06-30
Half a Life is the second story arc of a continuing comic called Gotham Central. And Gotham has never looked this gritty since Miller left for warmer climates. Michael Lark, who deserves immense amounts of money for the unbelievable work that he does, provides artwork that is to die for. It's dark and taut and each panel is perfection. Greg Rucka provides us with a very, very excellent character in Renee Montoya. She is tough as balls, intense, and very human. This is powerful storytelling.
Gotham Central has turned out to be one of the best comics in the past couple of years. Pushing Batman and his cast of crazy villains to the side as cameos and giving us the meat of the cops lives and cases provides hours of riveting reading. And rereading. Because these stories have depths and nuances that you didn't pick up the first time, trust me.
BTW, highly suggest Bruebaker and Lark's Scene of the Crime GN. Good stuff there too! Really good!
An Excellent Read.......2005-06-01
One of the best-written, most consistently entertaining mainstream comics on the shelves today, Gotham Central is the four-color cousin of popular TV police procedurals like Hill Street Blues, Homicide and NYPD Blue - telling stories of the DC Universe's toughest town from the perspective of the hardened detectives of the GCPD's Major Crimes Unit. Technically a Batman-family title, it is the one that is simultaneously the least and most reliant on the Dark Knight's presence, one that looms heavily over every story arc even if he himself rarely appears in them.
"RENEE MONTOYA HAS A SECRET." says the back cover blurb rather coyly. Specifically, she's a lesbian, a truth she's kept from her parents, her fellow officers, and her current partner, Crispus Allen. When she's outed and the man seemingly responsible turns up murdered, her backup gun found at the crime scene and incriminating evidence at her home, she finds herself under arrest and fighting not just for her job and her reputation, but for her life when help comes from a most unexpected source. Unexpected in the original run, at least. In this trade collection, DC generously includes two reprinted stories - all for only $14.99! - that serve as preludes (one from Batman Chronicles #16, the other from Detective Comics #747, both written by Greg Rucka but not illustrated by Michael Lark), shedding light on and setting up what originally seemed like an out of left field situation for those not well-versed in Gotham continuity.
The strength of this collection lies not in its overarching plot - solid though it is, despite some elements that suggest a fondness for Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter novels - but in its three-dimensional characterizations and smart dialogue, a trait that marks much of Rucka's work, both in comics and his novels, particularly when it comes to strong women. From the conflicted Montoya and her deeply predjudiced parents; to her arrogant but stand-up partner, Allen; to the bigoted taunts of her fellow officers, including the female ones, Rucka manages a realistic, nuanced take on a potentially exploitative subject, without any of the heavy handed objectifying, glamorizing or proselytyzing that one might expect in a relatively mainstream comic book. (Or, say, from Mark Millar.) Montoya works as the emotional center of the story, more about her than her sexual preference, because Rucka has given her multiple layers and not simply settled for a cipher on which to hang his story, an important factor that makes the ending work as well as it does, even when Batman and one of his classic rogues gets involved.
Gotham Central in general, and the "Half A Life" collection specifically, are stellar representatives of the best the form currently has to offer.
Book Description
· Rule Half-Life 2: Deathmatch with complete strategy and detailed maps
· Condensed walkthrough of the entire original Half-Life 2 game
· Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast--Complete walkthrough of the extra level
· Training techniques, weapon details, and character details to enhance your Half-Life 2 experience, no matter which game you play
· Bestiary tactics for Episode One to help defeat the all-new Combine forces and hostile monsters
Customer Reviews:
Will not load.......2007-05-19
So far the "Steam" online loader will not allow my game to run.After the first scene the screen freezes up. My system is newer (Only 6 months old) so it is not due to an ancient computer/ graphics card. Once I can actually load the game I will give a more detailed review.
A little help if you need it........2007-01-09
Great guide it realy helps when you get stuck. Nice pictures and very helpful.
Book Description
Half-Life® 2;: Full Strategy
·Essential strategies and maps for all 14 mission chapters
·Complete bestiary tactics, including how to take on the monsters and Combine forces
·In-depth evidence of all G-Man locations
·Deep combat strategy against the oppressive forces of evil
·Key script, back-story, and hidden game elements exposed
·Full-color maps showing every major item location
·Dozens of tactics for using the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator
Customer Reviews:
Nothing in here you can't get for free.......2005-12-21
First off, if you don't want to have the ending to the game ruined, stop reading these reviews because J. Boden ruins it for everyone. Also, don't buy the Prima Guide because there are spoilers in there as well. I made the mistake of getting this book when I was half-way through the game thinking it would help me, but I've pretty much figured everything out already on my own. The game Half-Life 2 is built around gently guiding you in the direction it wants you to go. The only purpose this book would serve is if you are absolutely stuck on a level and can't figure out what to do or where to go, then you could consult this guide for tips. But that hasn't happened for me yet and I'm playing on Normal difficulty. The weapons list and enemies list in this book for better or for worse has been copied on the Internet many times, so you can do a quick Google search and find most of the tips for free. This book only taught me one useful thing I couldn't figure out on my own: the machine gun has a grenade launcher (I forgot about the secondary fire option on most weapons). That's about it. I could see this book being useful for people having trouble completing a level, people who really like the colorful maps, or people who want to know what's going to happen ahead of time. If you're already into the game and don't need help, there isn't much here.
Need all the help I can get !!.......2005-10-10
Rate it a 4 out of 5 cause never have time to use it.To busy workin to pay for all my PC addictions not to mention gas...!!I also have one for DOOM3 and am pleased with it and found GOD mode alot of help for this overaged wanabe gamer... Weekend warrior W/half a deck..
Jej, s^m st^f.......2004-12-22
Yeah, it's been established that we have two different types of gamers: those who are appalled by those who use strategy guides, and those who think it's fun to check out extra stuff after playing the game. Whatever. Anyway, I'm a little sceptical on the thoroughness of this thing, because I noticed that it doesn't cover every G-Man appearance; and after I found one not listed, I noticed that unlisted sightings are all over the Steam forums. Hm, dubiety.
If you have Half Life 2, you should have this guide.......2004-11-25
This is a great guide. It is over 300 pages thick with detailed information about every location. It covers Half Life 2 as well as Counter Strike - Source. The entire guide is in full color and printed on heavy paper.
In addition to explaining gameplay details, the guide also covers some basic information that would normally be in a manual. Since HL2 does not come with a manual, this is very nice. It is not something I would normally expect from a strategy guide, but I appreciate that they went the extra mile there.
This is also the kind of game that makes a strategy guide important. HL2 is not a mindless shooter, so you are likely to get stuck at some point. This guide is a great tool and will help you out when you need it.
Note that this guide is not the same is the "Official Hint Book" that ships with the collector's edition. In fact, the booklet that ships with the collector's edition is really just an advertisement for this book. Get the real thing and ignore the collector's edition.
Excellent guide!.......2004-11-24
First let me say that the HL2 Guide does have tons of spoilers in it. So if you really want to be surprised don't look at it until you get stuck. But having said that it is a great guide. Also it is in glorious full color.
The HL2 Guide is broken into five sections:
First is an overview of all the weapons in the game. Full color illustartions and good info.
The second is an overview of all the characters you will encounter. Again, full color illustrations and good info.
The third section is the real meat of the book and contains the walkthroughs of each mission. What makes this section so nice is that a great map of the level is provided, which is better than the ones they did for Doom3, and full color screen shots that take you step by step through each mission. In addition, great tips and other goodies are highlighted for each level. If you get stuck on a level this is the place to look. Also, it is a great read AFTER you finish a level to pick up some tips and maybe see a few things you might have missed. It also narrates the story so you can actually read through this section almost like a book.
The fourth section of the guide covers Counter-Strike.
Lastly the book includes all the cheat codes you could ever want.
Overall it is a very well done guide that will help you through a few tricky levels and has excellent production values.
Product Description
5 Books: 1) You're Fifty--Now What? Investing for the Second Half of Your Life / 2) A Commonsense Guide to Your 401(k) (Bloomberg Personal Bookshelf Hardcover) / 3) I'm Retiring, Now What?! / 4) Your Top Investing Moves for Retirement / 5) Investing for Retirement, (Unboxed Set of Personal Finance Books), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to
save on shipping costs.
Average customer rating:
|
Age- and concentration-dependent elimination half-life of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in Seveso children.(Children's Health): An article from: Environmental Health Perspectives
Brent D. Kerger ,
Hon-Wing Leung ,
Paul Scott ,
Dennis J. Paustenbach ,
Larry L. Needham ,
Donald G., Jr. Patterson ,
Pier M. Gerthoux , and
Paolo Mocarelli
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000OI06RU
Release Date: 2007-03-15 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Environmental Health Perspectives, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2006. The length of the article is 8069 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Age- and concentration-dependent elimination half-life of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in Seveso children.(Children's Health)
Author: Brent D. Kerger
Publication:
Environmental Health Perspectives (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 114
Issue: 10
Page: 1596(7)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Mapping and Modding Half-Life 2 Complete
Level Design for Games: Creating Compelling Game Experiences (New Riders Games)
UnrealScript Game Programming All in One
Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design
Quake 4 Mods For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
