xREL.v3

V e n g e a n c E           P r e s e n t S

Half-Life 2 DVD *Retail* (c) Valve/Sierra

Release Date  :  11-30-2004               Protection   :  SecuROM/Steam
File Count    :  DVD=54x50mb              Game Genre   :  Shooters

Release Notes:

From the group that brought Counter-Strike: Condition Zero to your pc,
Vengeance is proud to present Half-Life 2.
By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and
adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the
door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him,
from the physical environment to the behaviors -- even the emotions -- of
both friends and enemies.
The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon
Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the
bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust
into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed
back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people -- people he cares about -- are
counting on him.
Characters - Advanced facial animation system delivers the most
sophisticated in-game characters ever seen. With 40 distinct facial
"muscles," human characters convey the full array of human emotion, and
respond to the player with fluidity and intelligence.
Physics - From pebbles to water to 2-ton trucks respond as expected, as
they obey the laws of mass, friction, gravity, and buoyancy.
Graphics - Source's shader-based renderer, like the one used at Pixar to
create movies such as Toy Story and Monster's, Inc., creates the most
beautiful and realistic environments ever seen in a video game.
AI - Neither friends nor enemies charge blindly into the fray. They can
assess threats, navigate tricky terrain, and fashion weapons from whatever
is at hand.
*NOTES*
Vengeance presents yet another excellent release of the action-packed
thriller Half-Life 2.
This time around, we have made a fully compatible installer for those
who did not wish to have their internet connection active while
installing this game, or for those who had firewalled STEAM/VALVE servers.
In addition, we have also upgraded the emulator's capabilities and as a
result the game runs even FASTER than our previous release. As a result,
you can expect even better gameplay, and shorter loading times.
The emulator has been carefully profiled against Half-Life 2, and file
data throughput has been optimized even further. This brings the emulator
to version 1.10. Most of the important emulator settings are configurable
for advanced users by using the steamemu.ini configuration file.
And in addition to improved game performance, we have enabled our
emulator to create cracked servers for Counter-Strike Source.  Thus,
whoever is running the game using the Vengeance emulator from this release
can create their own cracked servers for CS: Source, and also play on
other cracked servers.
Please note that the previous release DOES work, if you have your internet
connection active and your firewalls off.

Install Notes (Please follow these instructions IN ORDER)
1. Unpack the release with WinRAR or equivalent

2. Burn with Nero Burning ROM, CDRWin or equivalent.
3. *OPTIONAL STEP*
Disconnect your computer from the internet if you do not
wish any contact with the VALVE servers during the installation.

This WILL NOT alter or disable gameplay or any features, so do not worry
if you have chosen to disconnect your internet.
4. Run the autoplay, choose "Install Half-Life 2", then follow the
instructions on-screen to install STEAM, and then Half-Life 2.
*NOTE* You MUST install Counter-Strike Source as well or you will get an
error for the file hl2.ico1 in hl24.cab on CD4.
This is by fault of VALVE itself and this error is found on the
original retail copies of both the cd version and dvd.

5. After installation, depending on if your internet connection is active,
STEAM will ask you to create an account or login as an existing user.

Simply close this window once you see it as you DO NOT need a STEAM
account to play this release, nor do you need to launch or logon to
Steam.
It will also attempt to update the STEAM platform client, so just turn
on your firewall if you do not want to update the STEAM client.
If your internet was inactive during installation, once you reconnect it
may pop-up for you as well, so just close the window and turn on your
firewall only if you wish to avoid contact with STEAM at this point of
the installation.
REMEMBER THIS UPDATE IS FOR THE STEAM CLIENT ONLY! IT IS NOT NECESSARY
TO UPDATE. YOU DO NOT NEED INTERNET TO PLAY OUR HALF-LIFE 2.

CONTINUE READING ENTIRE NFO FOR MORE INFORMATION.
6. From the /VENGEANCE/HL2Installer/ directory on the DVD, double click the
file hl2install.exe.
This installer will automatically rename needed GCF files in the
SteamApps directory on your HDD (which is normally done by STEAM when
installing with an active internet connection).
The installer has now been modified to work offline, without any
interaction with the VALVE servers. So no worries about the installation
ever being blocked or calling home.

Next, the h2install.exe will automatically extract the necessary files
to run Half-Life 2 to "<install directory>\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\".
Finally, the hl2install.exe will render the game into full offline mode,
meaning, upon the first launch of the game, there will be no contact
with VALVE's master server or friends servers.
SAVED GAMES TIP

You can copy your save games to the following folder to
continue playing them:

"<install directory>\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\hl2\SAVE\"
And note that the "\User\" folder literally means \User\, it
DOES NOT refer to any STEAM account name you previously used.

REMINDER

Remember, you DO NOT need a STEAM account to play our release,
nor do you need to have STEAM running when you do want to play.

7. *OPTIONAL STEP*
This step is only for those who wish to play CS: Source online, to host
or play on cracked servers generated by our emulator.
IMPORTANT STEP
From the /VENGEANCE/ directory on the DVD, double click the
file "Steam Online.reg" to return the game to online mode.
If this step is not done, the game will remain in offline mode
and Counter-Strike Source will only work for LAN games.

From the /VENGEANCE/CSSInstaller/ directory on the DVD, double click
the file cssinstaller.exe.
This installer will similarly to hl2install.exe, rename the needed
GCF files and extract necessary files to play Counter-Strike Source.
Counter-Strike Source will be installed to
"<install directory>\SteamApps\User\Counter-Strike Source\".
However, cssinstaller.exe will enable the emulator to play
Counter-Strike Source!

You can create and join cracked servers by choosing the appropriate
action while playing the game.
8. --- Half-Life 2

To play Half-Life 2 double click the "Half-Life 2" shortcut found on
your desktop.
(Half-Life 2 will work in either OFFLINE or ONLINE mode - read below)
Counter-Strike Source
To play Counter-Strike Source double click the "Counter-Strike Source"
shortcut found on your desktop.

(CS: Source is ONLY functional if you are in ONLINE mode and
have completed step 7 - read above and below)

SHORTCUT NOTICE
Our installers will make shortcuts ONLY to the REAL location
where windows believes the desktop is.  If you have played
around with the desktop using TweakUI or other programs, you
may not see the shortcuts on your "desktop" which is NOT where
windows thinks the desktop actually is.  So, follow these
instructions to make your own shortcut:
For Half-Life 2:
"<install dir>\SteamApps\User\Half-Life 2\hl2.exe" -steamlocal

For Counter-Strike Source:

"<install dir>\SteamApps\User\Counter-Strike Source\hl2.exe" -steamlocal -game cstrike

<install dir> being wherever you installed the game obviously.

OFFLINE / ONLINE MODE

ONLINE

From the /VENGEANCE/ directory on the DVD, double click the
file "Steam Online.reg" to put the game in ONLINE mode.

Make sure your internet connection is active and the needed
ports to play CS: Source are open (or turn firewalls off).
OFFLINE
From the /VENGEANCE/ directory on the DVD, double click the
file "Steam Offline.reg" to put the game in OFFLINE mode.

The game MUST be in ONLINE mode to play Counter-Strike Source
on cracked servers, or to host a cracked server, and you
obviously must be connected to the internet.
OFFLINE mode is for those who do not have a constant internet
connection or for those who do not want any contact with VALVE
servers and want to play Half-Life 2.
Remember that OFFLINE mode will disable Counter-Strike Source
online capabilities. So if you want to play online, follow
the instructions above to enable ONLINE mode.
Remember, STEAM does NOT need to be running to play either
Half-Life 2, or Counter-Strike Source and you DO NOT need a
STEAM username/account.

Contacting Vengeance:
We are always looking for talented people to help fill our ranks. If you:
Work at an Electronics Boutique, Babbage's, Virgin or any similar store

Work for a games magazine as a reviewer, and have early access to games

Are able to crack most commercial protection schemes such as StarForce,
SecuROM and Safedisc

Vengeance salutes the competition:
GAME COMPANIES DESERVE YOUR
SUPPORT!! IF YOU ENJOY THIS          To anybody who still cares.
GAME, BUY IT NOW!!

ASCii by Edge of Superior Art Creations