How to Play Half-Life 2 on a PC

Half-Life 2 from developer Valve is the sequel to the blockbuster Half-Life. The Half-Life franchise has set a new bar for gameplay and storytelling in video games, especially the first person shooter genre. The keyboard-and-mouse controls of Half-Life 2 on the PC is a great way to play the game due to the available precision and flexibility.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the controls. As is typical with FPS games on the PC, the WSAD control scheme is how you move, with the "W" and "S" keys moving your forward and backward and the "A" and "D" keys strafing left and right. The mouse is how you look, and the mouse buttons are your primary and secondary fire. Use the spacebar button to jump, the "E" key to pickup and use items. The "R" button reloads and the "G" button switches to your gravity gun. There are more key commands and you can reassign buttons in the settings of the game.

2. Understand your hazardous environments suit. Your suit will show your vital statistics and has many features that will keep you alive. Your health and suit energy are displayed in the lower-left of the screen, and if these both run out, you die. You also have auxiliary power that will appear when you use a suit function like the flashlight. You can sprint with the help of your suit with the shift button, which also drains auxiliary power. When you swim, an oxygen meter will appear. If it runs out, you will start losing health until you drown.

3. Use your environment. One of the most revolutionary features of Half-Life 2 is the realistic physics and importance of using the environment. You can pick up several items in the game with the "E" key and throw them with the left mouse button. You can also use the gravity gun to manipulate the environment. Consider building barricades with boxes, launching exploding barrels at enemies and reversing the trajectory of on coming grenades with the gravity gun. Be creative with the environment and gravity gun, as just about anything in the game can be used as a weapon.

4. Customize your game experience. The best thing about playing video games on a PC is that almost every facet of the game is customizable. If you do not like how the controls are laid out, change them. Set your video performance, sound performance and screen resolution to suit your PC setup. Adjust your difficulty setting and mouse sensitivity so that the game plays well for you.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many weapons in Half-Life 2, but your gravity gun is the only one with unlimited ammo. Use your gravity gun liberally to preserve ammo with your other weapons.