Half-Life Strategy Guide: Basic Information

 Here I will list basic information to play Half-Life, such as: how to launch it, how to start new game, controls, etc. I will use old 1998 version of Half-Life because it has many cool features that are not available in Steam version. There are some minor fixes and changes, for example, the only thing that was changed in menu was design and background, so menu guide will be almost applicable to Steam version.

I. Launching Half-Life

 For first, find Half-Life shortcut on your desktop.  Its icon looks like greek lambda letter, or like russian L letter. Then click on in twice with your left mouse key.

II. Main menu

 After opening the game, main menu will appear. There will be several options, like New game, Hazard Course (embedded to New Game menu, from here on I will write Steam version names in brackets), Configuration (Options), Load Game, Multiplayer (Find Server), Create Server (embedded to Find Server menu), Quit. I highly recommend you to begin with Hazard Course because it will teach you basic controls, environment, and weapons. We will use only New Game, Load Game and Hazard Course menus for this walkthrough.

III. Controls 

 Here's the list of controls for Half-Life:

ARROW UP or W - MOVE FORWARD

ARROW DOWN or S - MOVE BACKWARD

A - STRAFE LEFT

D - STRAFE RIGHT

ARROW LEFT - TURN LEFT

ARROW RIGHT - TURN RIGHT

SPACE or INSERT - JUMP

CTRL - DUCK

ENTER or E - USE

LEFT MOUSE BUTTON - FIRE

RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON - ALT. FIRE (e.g. grenade launcher)

R or BACKSPACE - RELOAD

SHIFT - WALK SLOWLY

F - FLASHLIGHT (useful in vents and dark places)

T - SPRAY LOGO (useful only in multiplayer)

1,2,3,4,5 - CHOOSE WEAPON CATEGORY (1-melee, 2-handgun,3-military,4-high-tech,5-explosives, press left mouse button to confirm)

Q - SWITCH TO LAST USED WEAPON

F5 - TAKE SCREENSHOT

F6 - QUICK SAVE

F7 - QUICK LOAD

ESC - PAUSE GAME

IV. Conclusion

 You have learned the very basics of Half-Life. In the next article we will learn advanced basics of this game.

Half-Life Strategy Guide: Introduction

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Half-Life is a is a first-person shooter video game. Players assume the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist who must find his way out of the Black Mesa research facility after an experiment goes wrong. The core gameplay consists of fighting alien and human enemies with a variety of weapons and solving puzzles. Unlike many other games at the time, the player has almost complete uninterrupted control of Freeman, and the story is told mostly through scripted sequences seen through his eyes.