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At the time of Half-Life 2's release, the community was in an uproar at the lack of a Half-Life 2 Deathmatch multiplayer. Those who didn't enjoy Counter-Strike: Source felt somewhat left out in the cold. But the community's request hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Just weeks after HL2's release on November 30th 2004, Valve released Half-Life 2 Deathmatch together with the full Source SDK. So, what's HL2DM all about? This guide will explain the basics of HL2DM play and how to use the arsenal of weapons to your advantage. Also included are short map strategies for the two official HL2DM maps: dm_overwatch and dm_lockdown.
The aim of Deathmatch is to annihilate the opposition using any means at your disposal — whether that means throwing toilets and radiators at your opponent using the gravity gun, or simply shooting them with your conventional arsenal. The person or team with the most kills at the end of the match wins the game and gets the unparalleled honour of their name at the top of the end-game scoreboard. Of course, for most people winning is secondary to the fun factor. Luckily, HL2DM provides this aplenty.
One of the most important skills in deathmatch is using your weapons effectively and acquiring the deadliest variety. At the start of the match or after you respawn (after being killed), you are immediately equipped with three familiar Half-Life 2 weapons:
You're always equipped with the gravity gun in Deathmatch. It's uses are only limited by your imagination and the props at your disposal. |
Where HL2DM departs from previous DM gameplay is in the use of the gravity gun. The gravity gun can be used to pick all kinds of items from around the arena and fire them at your enemies. Whether the item is a metal barrel or a toilet in need of a clean, it will normally kill an enemy with one well-timed hit. However, often it will be difficult to find something good enough to fire, and if you miss, it takes time to find something new to throw. It might be good for you that you can kill enemies in one stroke, but you also have the problem of dealing with someone who's getting ready turn the tide, and fire a piece of the scenery at you.
Apart from simply dodging your adversary's attack, there is another technique for dealing with other people with gravity guns: catching. This involves catching the object thrown at you by someone else before it takes you out. Not only does this avert your own death but you can then throw the object straight back at them. The common use of this tactic sometimes leads to catching matches between players trying to outsmart the other's defences. To avoid this, bouncing the object off a floor or wall on its way to your enemy can often avoid his attempts to catch. If all goes well, the projectile will rebound into your opponent with enough speed to take him down. 
'Catch' the object by holding down the right mouse button while facing the incoming object. |
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Then fire the object straight back at your opponent but beware of the enemy re-catching the object themselves. |
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Another good use of the gravity gun is to deal with grenades. Many players instinctively flee from a lobbed grenade, but often you may cornered or simply too close to escape. A good alternative method is to pick up the armed grenade with the grav gun and hurl it back at its owner. However this takes precious seconds and the grenade very well go off in your face. A safer technique is simply to use your primary fire to jolt it away from you. This is very effective against clusters of enemies huddled together.
Other things that can be caught by the gravity gun include the orbs fired by the Overwatch Pulse Rifle. If an orb hits you, you will die instantly, so it is always a wise move to have your grav gun at the ready when coming up against pulse rifle-wielding enemies.
The 9mm does limited damage, and has a slow rate of fire. |
You are also automatically equipped with this basic pistol. It's the poorest gun in the game, and almost always shouldn't be picked over the SMG. It does limited damage and it has a measly rate of fire. The only time it should typically be used is when you run out of SMG ammo and you have no other weapon, and when the Gravity Gun can't be used (due to lack of projectiles to throw). Additionally, it is more effective than the SMG at hitting far-away targets with its slightly improved accuracy. | |
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