relnotes.txt #1

$Id: //guest/andrew_mcdonald/p4hl/relnotes.txt#1 $

P4HL (P4-Half-Life) release notes

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1. Installation Instructions
2. Usage Notes
3. Known Bugs
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1. Installation Instructions

A) Installing from the Public Depot (recommended)

 The p4hl/dist directory contains all of the files necessary to make P4HL work.
 Map it to a directory called "p4hl" under your Half-Life installation.

 Example: If you have installed Half-Life in the default directory of
 C:\SIERRA\Half-Life your client spec should run like this:

 Root: C:\SIERRA\Half-Life\p4hl

 View:
	//guest/sam_stafford/p4hl/dist/... //myclient/...

 Run a "sync" and you're set to go.  To activate P4HL, run Half-Life, hit 
 "Custom Game," select "P4HL," hit "Activate", and then begin a new game.
 P4HL will work in either single-player or multiplayer mode.

B) Installing from self-extracting ZIP (for non-Perforce users)

 Run the program "p4hl.exe" found at //guest/sam_stafford/p4hl/p4hl.exe .
 It will prompt you for an extraction path; specify the Half-Life directory
 (default is C:\SIERRA\Half-Life).  After the files are extracted you will
 be able to run P4HL from Half-Life.

System Requirements:
 - Half-Life v. 1.1.0.8, installed on Windows.
 - Standard sys reqs for Half-Life.

About Half-Life:
 - The client only runs on Windows, and hence Windows is a requirement for
   play.  A dedicated multiplayer server can be run on Linux; however, P4HL 
   has not yet been ported for use on a Linux dedicated server.  Anyone 
   wishing to undertake this is welcome to try.
 - Half-Life is commercial software, and can be purchased from www.sierra.com
   for about $30.  Patches to bring the purchased version up to 1.1.0.8 are
   available at www.planethalflife.com.
 - Apart from being the foundation for P4HL, it's one of the best computer
   games of all time - if you buy it for P4HL, be sure to give the core game
   a try as well.


2. Usage Notes

The controls and basic interface for P4HL are identical to those used in
standard Half-Life; no new controls have been added.  It is recommended that
newcomers to the FPS (first-person shooter) scene run through Half-Life's 
Hazard Course, included with the core game, to familiarize themselves with the 
use of these controls, before running P4HL.

Within P4HL, the two primary weapons are labeled "INFO" and "EXPAND".

The INFO weapon displays information about any Perforce object that it strikes.
It has a primary and secondary fire; each displays a different level of
information about the object.

The EXPAND weapon will "expand" an object it strikes to display its contents.
Its secondary fire creates a quick teleportation effect that allows the player
to escape from within a solid object.

The crowbar is also included as a default weapon.  It has no function when
applied to a P4HL object, but can be used to destroy crates, as well as other
players in multiplayer games.

Objects in P4HL are fairly self-explanatory, and can be explored by means of 
the three beams.

See also: //guest/sam_stafford/p4hl/reference.html .


3. Known Problems

 - Half-Life doesn't like to draw more than a few hundred objects at any one
   time, so if you're looking at a large number of objects, you might get
   "too many visible entities" errors.  After that, entities might get created,
   but invisibly, and performance will probably degrade since the game is
   extremely unhappy.

 - P4HL objects are moved by means of manipulating origins, rather than by 
   using velocities.  In other words, even when they appear to be moving
   slowly, they're actually teleporting into place, one small step at a time.
   This makes fine control a bit easier, but also does not make good use of 
   Half-Life's built-in physics model.  As a consequence, motion of objects on
   a multiplayer server appears a bit jerky, and P4HL objects can overlap with     
   other objects, including the player (hence the "teleport" function of the 
   EXPAND weapon), rather than pushing them out of the way.


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Please send feedback, questions, and corrections to samwise at per force dot com.