How to Use some Basic Cheats in Half Life 2

Half Life 2 is a fantastic game that, along with its predecessor, redefined how we view first person shooter games. A fantastic plot, superb graphics and excellent gameplay combine to make the Half Life series a group of seminal works in video game history. These games are challenging, even on Easy setting, and for those of us with an itchy trigger finger and little strategy, help is sometimes needed. Both Half Life and Half Life 2 have a built-in system for cheating which makes it both safe and easy. The only trick is knowing how to do it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Enabling Cheats

1. Start a game of Half Life 2 or continue an existing one.

2. Press Escape to open the menu.

3. Click on the Options button.

4. Click on the Keyboard menu.

5. 

   Click on Advanced.

6. 

   Check the box next to Enable Developer Console.

7. 

   Now you have unlocked the console, which can be accessed with the ~ button (it's located just to the left of the 1). Using the console, you can input any number of cheats to enable a vast array of options. To access cheat functions, you must first type this line into the console:
   
   Sv_cheats 1
   
   This is the gateway cheat that enables all other cheats. Once this is activated, any other cheats may simply be typed into the console. Below is a short list of cheats that are the most practical.
   

Basic Cheats

8. God: Enables invincibility.

9. impulse 101: Gives you max health, max suit power, all weapons and max ammunition.

10. noclip: Turns on no clipping mode, which allows you to “swim” through walls, floors and ceilings. Don’t worry, you won't drown. Type noclip again to turn it off, but make sure you don’t turn if off when you’re in the middle of a wall.

11. notarget: Makes you invisible to NPC’s. This is a wonderful little trick that lets bad guys sit and stare while you shoot them.

12. buddha: Prevents your Health from dropping below 1.

13. mat_fullbright 1: This removes all shadows. Helpful if you’re having trouble seeing bad guys in alleys or if you graphics card is slow. To turn it off, simply type in the same code with a 0 instead of a 1.

14. item_healthkit: Gives you 25 health.

15. item_healthvial: Gives you 50 health.

16. bind key command: This will bind a console command (like a cheat) to a specific button. For example, typing bind p “impulse 101” will make it so that every time you press the p button, the impulse 101 cheat will be activated. Be aware though, that if you bind the new command to a key you already use, eg: w, a, s, d (default movement keys) or space bar, the old key will be overridden and you will not be able to use it. If you accidentally do this, go to Options, Keyboard, and remap the key you overrode.
    

17. As with any game, cheating at Half Life 2 diminishes it somewhat. Try playing it through without cheats first, and if you just can't do it, open the console and do what you’ve got to do. Whether you cheat through your teeth or play the game clean, have fun with Half Life 2!