Half-Life 2 Source Code LEAKED...so what's a source code good for anyways???
 

Hey there...I found out that HL2's source code has recently been leaked...LOL...I KNEW something HL2 related would be leaked sooner or later after seeing what happened to Doom 3 Alpha (Fun game BTW...:D)...so what's a source code good for anyways??? It's not the game itself is it??? I don't think it is...so why would anyone want such a thing??? Just wondering...THANX
C'YA ?:-D

You are aware that software is usually written in something called "code" and then compiled into an executable formate right? The source code is the code for the game... Usually the only people who have the source code are the developers themselves.

So yes, it basically IS the game.
Although I'm not too sure how it's supposed to be played without all the supporting files (models and maps and sounds etc.), so maybe it was a bit more than the source code leaked.

You can't really play with the source code because you still need all the game's geometry, textures, sounds, maps, and other incidentals. The source code is the uncompiled software code in a high level programming language. Source code, unlike compiled code, includes comments, meaningful identifiers for variables, and is ordered in multiple files with an understandable hierarchy that makes it readable and understandable.

You can decompile existing code into a high level language but it isn't really readable because you don't know the name or signicance of each block of instructions and data.

Game engines like the UT2k3, DoomIII, Half-life2, represent huge investments of time and money and engine licensing represents a lucrative business. Now any and all techniques used in the rendering or sound engine can be copied or imitated freely by anyone with the source code. They could incorporate it into their own engine with no one being the wiser. Code checkers can tell if something is lifted straight, but certain intellectual property like algorithms and architectural ideas can't be traced.

I would give my first born child to have just one hour to learn from it =)

More importantly - and more distressing - having the source code in hand will let people begin to hack and devise cheats for the game before it hits the streets.

Something to keep in mind the first time you boot up the multiplayer component of HL2 (the surprise of which was given away in that source code).

Yup, this is the main problem I have with it. I mean, there's enough cheats for half-life and its mods WITHOUT having access to the source code, with the source code they can easily build the hacks around the anti-cheat components, or even straight into the engine itself.

yes this is indeed a huge problem for the community.

it will aid the bad guys create cheats.

it important to note that open source is generally better and more secure than closed source software because there are more good guys than bad guys looking at the code and reporting fixes.

unfortunately all the good guys in this situation who are not part of valve wont be coming close to the source with a 100 km pole , in order to avoide tainting.

This leaves valve alone and one step behind in a fight that was even supposed to start yet..

Buh bye firstborn son...
[EDIT] Doh! fooled...[/edit]

It isn't right. This sucks.

Definately sucks indeed, but I wouldnt worry TOO much.

From what I hear these 3 things rule over the leak:

1 - The leak is a month old

2 - This past month, is where most of the stuff was thrown together, so it is likely the the content in the leak is very incomplete, but still shows off quite a few things.

3 - They are changing some of the code (CD Key logarithms, some other things I cant think of at the moment)

Anywho, I hope the find and catch the bastard who did this, and jail his arse for a long long time.

knowing our system, he'll be in jail longer than a murderer.....

HAH!!! I KNEW that TF2 would be shipped with HL2!!! They've payed too much attention to CS and barely ANY to TF...they were a bit TOO quiet about TF and TF2...Now I don't know which one I'm gonna be able to play with first...should I play TF2 first or HL2 first??? :confused::confused::confused: To TF2 or HL2...THAT is the question...You know what...this will prolly delay HL2 even MORE...unless Valve is stoopid they will have to change the source code completely or else there will be hacks EVERYWHERE

Are there any kind of files that you can get out of the source code or any interesting stuff??? Just wondering...THANX
C'YA ?:-D

Whoever released it is really STOOPID!!! What s/he SHOULD have done was wait until the release date of HL2 and THEN release the source code...BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That would have been the most evil...LOL...the person screwed up...s/he could have done a better job of being evil

Hey...check out this pic I found...wonder if it's real:
http://www.devils-children.com/hl2_1.jpg

Well, i imagine valve has some serious work on their hands now.

They'll need to figure out who got to it, etc. I think they need to take a little mroe time with corporate security, though. From what I've read, most of the hacking was done by using the buffer overflow problem with Microsoft Outlook. I know MS had a patch for that a while back, didn't they?

After that's done, I suppose they shoudl rename ALL routines, ALL function calls, ALL variables, and probably change how some stuff works so the hackers dont have a chance.

Seems like a tall order. Hope they get it done right this time. I, for one, was really let down when I heard this. I guess there will be more people jumping on the Max Payne bandwagon while they wait, then, eh?

i wouldnt worry about it too much, there are sometimes numerous prerelase beta code versions floating around before a game goes gold. Even if the code is "current" and valid.. they have a month or 2 to change variables and work on securing functions, which will go a lot faster since the bulk of the work is done already.

99% of people getting the code wont know what to do with it anyway..
Hell the homworld code just went public as well.. Totally useless without supportiv files and subsystems.

The only thing that really worries Valve, imo, is the ability to cheat.

With the source code, it would be pretty easy to make multiplayer cheats, with multiplayer and mods being what Valve is really banking on...

Ganguro, was it the Homeworld 2 code that leaked? Or just the code for the original game?

I guess the thing that worries me most about this is that Valve will be leasing their HL2 engine to third-party developers. I guess now, some renegade programming team could hack together a graphically kick ass game without paying a dime to Valve using the stolen source. I'm sure Valve has been shitting bricks over this one...

... can't wait to get my hands on it and see how it works. heheheh.

Homeworld 1 source code/ engine was released, not leaked. It was done on purpose and can be found here: http://www.relic.com/rdn/

There will be more cheaters and the Keygenerator will have to be changed. Those aren't that big of a deal but the main problem is now all of HL's rivals will be able to see how they do their physics and most importantly their AI system. That has to piss off the programmers. I know I would.

Ah. Ok, thanks. I've heard whispers of other invasions into developer systems, etc. - was trying to see how widespread the leaking had become.

Half Life 2 ???
 

hey whats up everyone, I'm getting excited about HL 2 coming soon, and I would like to know if anyone can tell me about what I need to play this game...

My actual PC is a 2.0 GHz with 512 Ram, and more than enough space on my hard drive.
One thing though: my graphics card is the one that came with the computer when I bought it (at Gateway). I don't know what it is, and it probably sucks. I think I have enough processor power as well as ram and Hard Drive space, but is there anyone of the computer freak community that could tell me a good graphic card that could handle HL 2?
My first post as a thread... thanks for answering...

How much do you want to spend on a graphics card?

And what kind of processor/RAM is that? If you have a 2.0 Celeron with 512 MB of PC133 RAM, you'll probably have trouble with Half-Life 2.

-Lasereth

Will my specs be enough to run HL2?

P4 1.6 GHz / 384 MB DDR @ 266 MHz / 50 GB HDD / Radeon 9000 Pro Atlantis 64MB DDR VIVO / Win XP Pro, DX9

It's too hard to say right now. The game could have strict requirements, or it could be very scalable so it can be played on most machines.

The specs for playable Half-Life 2 are really, really low. You'll be able to run it, but maybe not run it *well.* You never know until it comes out, though.

-Lasereth

The way HL2 is designed, you don't a powerful computer, just a powerful video card. Anything with 128 MB DDR + will run amazing.

It is going to take Valve so much longer to put out HL2 now :(

Half Life 2 source leak confirmed - Oops! Or maybe it's a marketing wheeze
 

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11913


Half Life 2 source leak confirmed - Oops! Or maybe it's a marketing wheeze

By INQUIRER staff: Friday 03 October 2003, 09:56

GABE NEWELL has made an official statement about the rumoured leak of the Half Life 2 source code here.
Apparently, someone has been sniffing around Valve Software and the source code was downloaded directly off of Valve computers. This appears to have been a targeted attack at Valve, as it exploited a vulnerability in Outlook (vulnerabilities in Microsoft software? Heaven forbid!) and installed a keystroke recorder on individual systems. In addition, Gabe’e e-mail has been accessed several times since September 11th, 2003.

While the source code does not include the full game, the source code of the engine can be examined to create exploits in the game. Speculation is running rampant about Steam’s ability to detect hacks, but finding work-arounds with the source code is much easier than trying to decipher compiled information.

There are also components to the source code that reveals new weapons, and work already completed on several mods. While some people might think, "big deal", there is a high stakes game happening this fall with several prominent titles vying for the gamers dollar. This is a painful blow to Valve. µ

If a developer wanted to work on a new game, looking at the HL2 source would be worthless to them. The code itself is already a few years old, and some parts of it are 4-5 years old. And Valve doesn't have any code Gods like iD does, so the code is pretty standard. By the time a developer spends 1-2 years coding up their game using the HL2 source, it will be outdated by the time it is released. That's the nature of the beast. Now if the source was leaked a year ago, then it would be a total different story. Developers could of rushed things and had their HL2 source based game out around the same time as HL2, with enough time to change things around so no one catches on.

Consider the following: Quake 3 Arena was released to the public on the 21 October, 2000. Almost three years later, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy was released 16 September, 2003. This new game is not outdated. Gamespot.com gives Jedi Knight a decent rating of 8.4/10. I would hardly consider an 8.4 an "outdated" game.

Sure, the Quake3 engine was done by "code Gods" iD, but then consider that the original Half-life was released 31 October, 1998. James Bond 007: NightFire was released four years later using the Half-life engine, and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is due out next month which also uses the old Half-life engine.

My point is this, the Half-life2 engine is not outdated, and nor will it be for probably the next three or four years. That should allow plenty of time for developers to release great games using the HL2 engine, and trust me they will. Now the only trouble is did the developers pay for rights to use the engine, or did they steal it?

I was looking at the graphics for HL2 on that 600MB e3 video today and thought to myself, "wow, that shit looks like bullshit, they should've released it five months ago."

Re: Half-Life 2 Source Code LEAKED...so what's a source code good for anyways???
 

Oh, my. Going back to your career thread, this definitely confirms that you aren't cut out for a computer-related job.

Re: Re: Half-Life 2 Source Code LEAKED...so what's a source code good for anyways???
 

If I were a mod I'd ban you for that comment alone.

Valve Software releases statement, "This sucks" after Half-life2 source code stolen
 

Not the entire game, but the engine that controls character interaction, physics, and other aspects of gameplay.

There's a pretty good discussion going on about this already in this thread... but yeah, it does indeed suck.

depends on how you want it to look....the better the system the better it is....same with the card...i would say if you want to go all out get the 9800...if you want to not break the bank...than like a 128mb ti4200 would do great...processor should be more than enough...and more ram never hurts..max it out!

its not about HL2, its about the mp.....anyone remember tf2 ?

moreover, in SP you will be able to notch down your gfx settings enough for your game to be playable (40fps+)

The real question here may be how much of a computer will it take to run hl2 at x resolution WHILE playing online.

Well, that's not the nicest thing to say, but it falls pretty far from being a personal attack.

To a point I'd even agree. If Metallica_Band is a studying IT student, he has some more studying to do.

I'd just remind <b>irseg</b> that everyone starts with the same knowledge base. IE-nothing. Learning fills that void.

Never forget there is always someone out there who knows more.

Re: Re: Re: Half-Life 2 Source Code LEAKED...so what's a source code good for anyways???
 

For being honest? Wow, you'd make a great moderator!

Re: Re: Re: Half-Life 2 Source Code LEAKED...so what's a source code good for anyways???
 

Good thing you aren't a mod then, it takes alot more than a backhanded comment to get banned. Warning maybe...

I do think that comment didnt belong on this thread, they asked a very valid question.

I just don't find that kind of comment acceptable, to downplay someone hopes like that, it's just like buying a kid a bicycle he wanted for christmas then running over it with a truck while the kid watches.

But anyway, back on topic.

Did anyone here upgrade their PC for HL2's projected September 30 release only to be let down?

i was actually revieved it got delayed a little as i need a new computer to play it but i wont have the money till xmas

i recall that the source engine allows a high degree of scalability,so even lower spec computers should run it ok, although it won't look or play as half as good as it should.

I convinced my friends to save up a bit more and only upgrade for when Doom 3 comes out (March) as it's going to be more important to updgrade for that than it will be for HL2.

The psychics engine is what really wows people, as well as myself. It's damn near as close to life as they can get.

I suck at art. I have no aesthetic talent whatsoever. Let's say I was thinking about being a painter and asking for advice, but demonstrated a significant lack of knowledge/ability.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather have people say "That's really not your thing, find something else." rather than have people get my hopes up by saying BS like "You're doing great! You'll learn everything about it in no time!", and then go on to be a failure.

I think he mentioned being 20 or so. If you want to go into a computer related field and don't know what source code is by that age, good luck getting a degree and far more importantly, finding a job while competing with people who have been computer geeks all their lives. By all means he should keep playing with computers as a hobby and learn as much as possible, but it's foolish to expect to be competitive in such a demanding field, and it's even worse to disillusion him into thinking he could pull it off at this point in time.

I wasn't being serious there man, I was referring to what Matrix2023 said two posts before my one :D

HL2's physics are damned amazing, the AI appears to be too, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. appears to have fantastic physics too.

from ShackNews
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/28619
+

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/28641/
God Fucking Damn it. It's people like this who give hackers a bad name. I will admit, I am impressed by the sheer amount of work and skill that this took, but at the same time, these sons of bitches should be killed. slowly. with forks.
they are stealing, they are adding one more point against legit hackers, and they are fucking up the game for all of us.

I agree, but would you rather someone say "Oh my god, you're terrible at art, Jesus man... what the fuck are you smoking!?!" or "You don't really have the knack for art, it just doesn't seem to flow freely from you, your ideas are bungled and your composition is off-kilter." The second is a much nicer way to say it.

But once again, back to the topic at hand.

Here's some bad news relating to the topic. *Real* bad news...

Vivendi's "Half Life II" game delayed by code theft
PARIS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The theft of part of its source code has delayed until April 2004 the launch of "Half Life II", the hotly anticipated alien-hunting game of Vivendi Universal Games, a company official said...

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/031007/tech_...i_games_2.html

I heard that a bug in IE had something to do with this. not too sure.

Bug in outlook actually, a buffer overflow in the preview pane, but it certainly does suck for all of us. I think it would be better for them to rewrite most of the code that was stolen, so people find it much harder to write hacks/exploits, instead of trying to appease the community and push for an earlier release date. Imagine what cs1.5 wouldve been like with no one cheating....

Well, guess what everyone ... it has been postponed until April due to the source leak. Go figure.

I swear, people NEED to keep their developmental machines isolated from the network. Period.

this is what i thought would happen.

Valve would delay the game too fix the possible hack routes.
So the hackers that base the hack off their code doesnt work becuase valve changed the code.

End product. The game gets delayed for everybody. Nice job guys.

Also I do believe that its not just a plot to give valve time to fix the game, valve would just be honest and say it wasnt done yet, as in what they did with HL1.

Yes maybe having outlook on the net with the code was stupid but as the great bumper sticker once said "Shit happens".

sometimes we need access to the machines and source code from different physical locations, so the source tree needs to be on a server somewhere, and due to connection difficulties , speeds, etc, the internet is the best solution.

i don't know any games company that doesn't have source code or source code control, available over the internet, either via vpn or some other way.

i think that is one of if not the biggest actual concern for them and noth has hit it right on the head with the aboce comments

Half-Life 2 E3 Build (Alpha or Beta) leaked
 

Yes, it's real.
Yes, it's actual executables.
No, I'm not telling you where to get it.

Edit - Debate as to whether it's an Alpha or Beta.

Shit happened. Again.
 

To have all the eye candy, you will want to run it on at least a ATI Radeon 9600 Pro. The Nvidia cards can't do DX9 very well at all.

I've heard that the AI is disabled in it, but have no way of confirming.

the game is going to be out in a few months. what's up with leakin the alpha?

It's been pushed back to April 2004.

Edit - Hmm. The Inquirer says otherwise ... but we'll have to wait for Valve's official statement on the leak. Hopefully it's still a happy holiday season for us all.

And for those who missed it the first time around:

No, I'm not telling you where to get it.

Have you gotten the whole thing and played with it yet?

so uhh, where do u get it :p


i also heard that some guys released maps and textures to work with the stolen source code, but its just to see the engine at work, just runnin and jumpin

yeah, i heard it was out too, im looking for it now, so when i find out, ill let you know.

I think its meant to run good on a 700

HALF LIFE2 DELAYED DUE TO STOLEN CODE!!!!!

Some hacker-ass stole a third of the code to HL2, causing a major delay. I hope someone finds him and break his fingers!

That bullcrap is still based on the infamous Tom's Hardware using the 32.35 drivers instead of the 50.54 drivers that were designed for the FX cards with HL2. Wait until the game comes out, or a test comes out using the actual correct drivers, then we can make those conclusions.

-Lasereth

I've found both the code and the beta version (yes, it is beta), but I dont wanna install anything beta on my system.

I'm not sure if I found the beta that I'd install it. Who's to say the hacking group that stole the source and beta from Valve havn't made any "adjustments"(read: keyloggers, viruses, etc) themselves before releasing it? I mean seriously, they got a hold of the source by using viruses and keyloggers that were undetectable by anti-virus software. Who's to say they havn't "added" anything to the beta?

damn, CNN says theres places who have ingame screens, where are they................

It was totally inevitable :rolleyes:


:(

Next thing you know everyone will be getting mailed a full working copy of HL2.

When you get the beta, you don't install anything.

You just run the exe file and play on maps.

It's pretty fun showing of the game, and it runs excellent on my AIW 9700 Pro.

Though, I would really hate to be Valve now. I checked this out because I was curious, and I have not been disapointed. I'm going to delete it and still buy HL2, whenever it is they manage to put it out...

Sucks :(

I really hoped that this would be released on the 30th of sept.

Looking at the screenies, it looks like it needs more work.

Keep in mind that it is an alpha/beta, and optimized to run on the specific hardware. DX7/8 cards are showing missing/corrupted textures.

bastards!

Thats all I have to say. First some leaked source code, now they getta test out their codes the easy way. My oh my, isn't this wonderful... I'm that Half Life 2 was pushed back.. really gets me mad, but with all this news, its probably for the best, and now hopefully they can tweak it up, which means a few things. First off they can try to root out the code so that any cheats will be ineffective, or simply auto-banned by people who use them. Also, at least when I buy it I'll know that my 5900 will work without a problem :)

I wouldn't touch that download with a frigging ten-foot pole. God knows what malicious backdoor shit was packed in there by the hackers, along with the actual game files. It's not worth it, guys.

Unless you grab it, burn it, format your HDD, put it on a non-network machine, play it, then destroy the CD.

Not worth the hassle, why go through so much trouble when the game isn't even complete and just around the corner there are a gazillion great games coming out.

Since we have new memebers joining all the time i will say this once.

IF ANYONE POSTS THE FILE, OR WHERE TO GET THE FILE.. YOU'RE iIN DEEP SHIT! :)

That being said, im with Deflok here, I wouldnt touch that thing with a ten foot pole.. maybe install it on a public computer and then run like hell. Either way, it's stealing.

Half-life 2 Beta Leaked
 

This was taken from the nfo file that came with the release. Apprarently all the rumors were true, there is a Half-life2 beta floating around on the net.

Funny how he calls himself a "leaker," when he's nothing more than a pathologically righteous thief. A "leak" is when someone on the inside gives data illegally and willingly to someone on the outside. There is no other definition I know of.

Half life 2 beta will rock, i want to get my hands on it.

I think that second nfo file is funny. The first thing I thought when I saw that HL2 was delayed until April 2004, and their excuse (it's the hacker's fault, we have to rewrite a bunch of code now), was that they were just grabbing at the air for excuses to delay the game.

And after reading the second .nfo, I honestly think that I was right thinking that.

I bet a bunch of the valve fanboys are gonna jump on me for saying this, but I'll bet the game wasn't even close to completion on Sept. 24 when they delayed the game until the holidays, and I'll bet that they realized that the game won't be complete by the holidays either so they used their source code leak as an excuse to be able to delay the game further. That way, all of the people who are eagerly anticipating the game can focus their hatred towards the source code thieves instead of valve themselves. Clever tactics indeed.

It's hard to say, but I am inclined to also agree. If this is all that they had when they were hacked, then there is no way the game could be out anytime soon.

My freinds got there hands on it...damn. I NEED IT!

I'm looking forward to this - BLOODLINES

Its the sequel to Vampire Redemption.
The website is still kinda rough and has a funky interface, but there is a good PDF file of the feature article PC Gamer did on the game.

Alright... I got the leaked alpha, I'm not going to tell anybody where to get it, but I will say this:

The "artificial intelligence" that you see in the E3 HL2 demo is far from artificial intelligence. It's all scripted. The door getting kicked open, the shooting through the windows, all of that stuff is all scripted. Sad, but true.

Valve has quite a bit of work to do before this game is ready for release. I highly doubt the delay of the game was because of the hackers. I'm quite certain the game would have been delayed until April even without the source code leak. The game needs lots of work.

You absolutely certain? I'm guessing the AI has triggers

-Door won't open: Find alternative entry route: 2 Alternatives found: Alternative 2 closest: Execute alternative 2 entry route-

That kind of thing.

Maybe....

http://oefnetwork.com/cycopl/stuff/h...overhere01.jpg
Hey guys, the room's empty. I'm right here.

http://oefnetwork.com/cycopl/stuff/h...overhere02.jpg
Umm, yeah. Kicking doesn't help much when the door's already open.

http://oefnetwork.com/cycopl/stuff/h...overhere03.jpg
Perhaps they're hunting down that ultra-menacing washing machine?

Those screenshots speak for themselves I guess! Wow. Maybe this is the publicity stunt of all publicity stunts. Genius if you ask me. I can't wait for the game. I'm not touching the leaked crap. I can wait. I was really impressed with that E3 video. Hopefully the AI will be ready for April.

This cant be the EXACT release of what you would have seen on the initial release date, cause there are still a ton of error textures, missing textures, etc. Besides, it is 3.3gb w/ like 3000 files or something. Its still got all the testing snippets included in it. I guess it could be, but i highly doubt it. On two side notes... Take a look at the water in canals_02... !!! WOW and try shooting the helicopter w/ the RPG in i forget what level. EVERY time you shoot it, a corpse flies out. Use the all weapons cheat, and you can make more bodies comes out than couldve fit in the helo.

I'm pretty sure that's why the game was delayed though... It's nowhere near completion and they couldn't release what they currently had on Sept. 30th.

I haven't lost any faith in Valve though... I think they'll come through and release a kickass game with awesome AI and physics, but I think the main point of the scripted sequences we saw in E3 (which were SUPPOSED to be AI) were pretty much there to make us think the game is almost finished, and that a Sept 30 release might actually be possible. I think we all know now that it wasn't possible. :(