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Difference between revisions of "Half-Life: Blue Shift"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
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{{Fixbox|description=Fix Data Execution Prevention setting|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Fix Data Execution Prevention setting|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
 
Ensure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is set to the default (Windows programs and services only).
 
Ensure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is set to the default (Windows programs and services only).
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}}
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===Run the game at screen refresh rate===
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{{--}} The Direct3D verison of the game defaults to 60 Hz in fullscreen mode.
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{{Fixbox|description=Use the <code>-freq <rate></code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]]|ref=<ref>[https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Command_Line_Options#Source_Games Command Line Options - Valve Developer Community]</ref>|fix=
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{{ii}} Example: <code>-freq 120</code> forces a 120 Hz refresh rate.
 
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Revision as of 21:24, 21 March 2020

Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Blue Shift cover
Developers
Gearbox Software
Valve Corporation
Publishers
Sierra Entertainment
Valve Corporation
Engines
GoldSrc
Release dates
Windows June 12, 2001
macOS (OS X) March 30, 2013
Linux March 30, 2013
Half-Life: Blue Shift guide on StrategyWiki
Half-Life: Blue Shift on MobyGames
Half-Life: Blue Shift on Wikipedia

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
Half-Life mods and fangames (series)
Half-Life 1998
Half-Life: Opposing Force 1999
Half-Life: Blue Shift 2001
Codename: Gordon 2004
Half-Life: Source 2004
Half-Life 2 2004
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch 2004
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast 2005
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source 2006
Half-Life 2: Episode One 2006
Half-Life 2: Episode Two 2007
Portal (series)
Half-Life: Decay (unofficial port) 2008
Half-Life: Alyx 2020

Key points

As of July 2013, among other fixes, Blue Shift was updated with SteamPipe integration, with its original soundtrack added back in-game.[1]

General information

Unofficial Half-Life Wiki
GitHub Issue Tracker for Half-Life: Blue Shift and other GoldSrc-based games
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SecuROM DRM. Disc only required for CD music.
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

This fix isn't necessary for the Steam release, as that has no intro videos.
-nointro[citation needed]
  1. Find Half-Life: Blue Shift in your Steam Library
  2. Right-click the game name
  3. Select Properties
  4. Select Set Launch Options...
  5. Input -nointro
  6. Press OK
  7. Launch the game

Higher definition models

The High Definition Pack[2] was created by Gearbox and first released alongside with Blue Shift on June 12, 2001. It was released for free on Steam on August 30, 2005, with a fixed version released a year later. This pack replaces most weapon and player/enemy models with higher polygon versions, substantially altering the style of some of them in the process. The option to enable the pack in-game is in the options menu, and the game must be restarted for it to take effect.

For other options follow this guide.

Remade WON Menu

Blue Shift's main menu, among other parts, was heavily changed with the game's transition from the WON (World Opponent Network) system to Steam. A mod was released by Reddit user HowardHeyman. It restores the look of the original Blue Shift menus, but without text subtitles, animated backgrounds, nor various options windows to keep within the Source Engine's assumed limits. The mod also adds main menu music from Blue Shifts's (in-turn, Opposing Force's) own soundtrack. An alternate download link can be found here, on GameBanana.

The menu also adds the "Custom Game" feature that was present in the WON version, where the player could select from an in-game menu to switch mods in-game. This feature is disabled by default in the Steam release, as Half-Life doesn't have true native support to allow run time switching, and, according to Alfred, the engineering effort to fix the function is better spent elsewhere.[3]

Menus are 4:3 by default and cannot be stretched to fullscreen. In-game is untouched.

Enabling developer mode

Enabling developer mode will allow use of in-game cheats and various console commands.
Turn on developer mode[citation needed]

Use the developer 1 in console.

Notes

The developer console can be opened by pressing ~ (Note you may have to turn it on in the in-game settings). You can use the console command sv_cheats 1 to allow the usage of console commands such as god and noclip. Note that you might have to reload a save-game after enabling cheat-mode for certain commands to work.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Half-Life\bshift\[Note 1]
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game>/Half-Life/bshift/
Linux <path-to-game>/Half-Life/bshift/
*.cfg store the configuration.
This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\Half-Life\bshift\SAVE\[Note 1]
macOS (OS X) <path-to-game>/Half-Life/bshift/SAVE
Linux <path-to-game>/Half-Life/bshift/SAVE/

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game video settings.
In-game video settings.

Template:Video settings

Field of view (FOV)

When running at widescreen-resolutions adjusting the FOV is probably necessary.
Field of view[citation needed]
  1. While in game, open the console (~).
  2. Type default_fov 106.270273206 and press Enter.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

-window -noborder[citation needed]
  1. Find Half-Life: Blue Shift in your Steam Library
  2. Right-click the game name
  3. Select Properties
  4. Select Set Launch Options...
  5. Input -window -noborder
  6. Press OK
  7. Launch the game

High frame rate

Game is capped at 72 FPS (without Vsync) by default.
Set FPS limit[citation needed]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Create a new file called userconfig.cfg
  3. Add in the following lines:
fps_max "<desired FPS value>"
fps_override 1
  • The fps_override 1 command disables GoldSrc's arbitrary 100 FPS limit.

4. Save the file and launch the game.

5. Disable Vsync in-game.

Disabling the cap may reduce the speed at which you move objects.[4] NPC turn rate bug was fixed.[5]

Input settings

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse/joystick settings.
In-game mouse/joystick settings.

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Spanish
Retail only. Download.

VR support

VR

Install Half-Life-VR Mod[6]
  1. Install Half-Life VR Mod into Half-Life's root.
  2. Take client.dll from the mod and put it in Half-Life: Blue Shift's \Half-Life\bshift\cl_dlls folder.
  3. Add -game vr -dev -env -insecure -nomouse -nojoy +sv_lan 1 +sv_maxspeed 125 to Half-Life's launch options
  4. Set opengl32.dll to Read-Only in root directory of Half-Life.
  5. Ingame, make Half-Life windowed
  6. To play, Launch Half-Life and select Change Game in the main Menu, and choose Half Life: Blue Shift.

Issues fixed

Game crashes before entering main menu (Windows)

Fix Data Execution Prevention setting[citation needed]

Ensure Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is set to the default (Windows programs and services only).

Run the game at screen refresh rate

The Direct3D verison of the game defaults to 60 Hz in fullscreen mode.
Use the -freq <rate> command line argument[7]
Example: -freq 120 forces a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7 Lost with Linux update.[8]
OpenGL 2.1
Software renderer
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
[citation needed]
Linux
[citation needed]

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Audio Miles Sound System

Console commands

Games running on the GoldSrc engine can utilize GoldSrc Engine Console Commands for various tasks.
The console is enabled by default in GoldSrc games, press ~ to open it.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP
Processor (CPU) 500 MHz
System memory (RAM) 96 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 GB
Video card (GPU) 16 MB of VRAM
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) Snow Leopard 10.6.3
Processor (CPU) 500 MHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8
ATI Radeon X1600
Intel HD 3000
Linux
Minimum
Operating system (OS) Ubuntu 12.04
Processor (CPU) Intel Dual Core 2.8 GHz
AMD Dual Core 2.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 4 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8600/9600 GT
ATI/AMD Radeon HD 2600/3600
OpenGL 2.1 compatible
Sound (audio device) OpenAL Compatible Sound Card
Other (Graphic Drivers: Nvidia 310, AMD 12.11)

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References