Half-Life 2: Deathmatch

	This article is non-canon.
	The subject matter of this article does not take place in the "real" Half-Life and Portal universe and is considered non-canon.

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Developer(s)	Valve Corporation
Release date(s)	November 30, 2004
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Platform(s)	Windows, macOS, Linux
Distribution	Steam
System req	1.2 GHz Processor, 256MB RAM, DirectX 7 level graphics card, Windows 2000/XP and Internet Connection (broadband or better recommended).
Input	Keyboard and mouse
Engine	Source
Series	Half-Life

 

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, usually abbreviated as HL2DM, is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation. Released on Steam on November 30, 2004, it uses many of the assets from Half-Life 2, and the same Source engine. It features unique levels, optimized for multiplayer arena play, and two new weapons. The game is the successor to the popular multiplayer component of the original Half-Life, but is offered as a separate product from Half-Life 2. Deathmatch, like Half-Life multiplayer, does not develop any part of the plot or story of the Half-Life series.

Gameplay

Menu background.

Deathmatch

The Deathmatch (commonly abbreviated as DM) mode, includes more of the features seen in other games that can be played in deathmatch mode. Of these features, the most notable are: instant respawn, weapons have a specific spawn point, quick traveling and special abilities (sprint, flashlight, etc).

The point of the deathmatch is simple: the player must kill other players to score points, and if the player accidentally kills himself, they would lose points. If a player is killed, they will respawn with 100 health points and the default spawn weapons, but will lose all the weapons and ammunition they had before being killed.

Team deathmatch

In the Team deathmatch (commonly abbreviated as TDM) mode, players are organized in two teams, Rebels (Red) and Combine (Blue), both of them with different characters that appear exactly as they do in Half-Life 2. In the gaming aspect, TDM has almost the same rules like in deathmatch mode, except for:

• Instead of only one player winning the round, the team with the higher score wins.

• Depending of the friendly fire being enabled or not, a player will lose one score point for every teammate killed.

• If the player selected a Rebel model for his character, and they are taken to the Combine team, they will get a random model from the list of Combine models. Nevertheless, if the player dislikes that character, they are able to choose another one from the list.

• If the teams are unbalanced, the team with fewer players will not get players from the other team. Instead, they will get new players connected to the server.

Weapons

The Half-Life 2: Deathmatch weapons are shared with Half-Life 2 with several differences (in use but not appearance) with the exception of the S.L.A.M, exclusive to the game, and the Stunstick, originally only used by Civil Protection.

Picture	HUD icon	Kill icon	Ammo pickup icon	Name	Body damage	Head damage	Chamber/Carried	Alternative fire	Given when spawned
			N/A	Crowbar	25	25	N/A	None	Default weapon for rebels.
	Gordon Freeman's signature weapon in the Half-Life series, the crowbar is the default melee weapon for the rebels. It inflicts less damage than the Stunstick, but has a faster rate of attack.
			N/A	Stunstick	40	40	N/A	None	Default weapon for Combine soldiers.
	The default melee weapon for the Combine team. It has a slower rate of attack than the crowbar, but inflicts more damage.
		Blast Thrown object	N/A	Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator	Depends on the thrown object	Same as body	N/A	Grab object	Yes.
	Used for picking up and throwing objects. Players can kill opponents by throwing file cabinets, toilets, and other physics objects that are strewn about the level. These objects, in addition to grenades, can also be caught and thrown back at an opponent.
				9mm Pistol	8	24	18/150	None	Yes, comes with full ammo (18/150 rounds).
	A quick firing pistol with medium accuracy. It is used mostly as a backup weapon because of its low damage, often to finish off weakened opponents.
				.357 Magnum	75	225	6/12	None	No, but players spawn with 6 rounds for this weapon.
	A revolver. It can only carry 18 rounds in total, and has a slow firing rate, but every bullet counts as a kill if they are used properly.
		Regular Grenade	Regular Grenade	Submachine Gun	5	15	45/225	Explosive grenade (Max 3)	Yes, comes with a spare magazine (45/45).
	A commonly used default weapon due to its high rate of fire and ease of use. Secondary fire lobs explosive grenades that fly in an arc and detonate on impact.
		Regular Orb	Regular Orb	Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle	11	33	30/60	Plasma Orb (Max 3)	No.
	One of the most used weapons, it has two shooting modes: first, an automatic mode which pulse rounds with a great rate of fire, and the secondary mode, which fires an Energy Ball that vaporises anyone it touches, along with the weapon the victim was carrying.
				Shotgun	9 per pellet	27 per pellet	6/30 (shotshells)	Double barrel	No, but players spawn with 6 rounds for this weapon.
	Almost useless at long range, but powerful at short-medium range. Fires 7 pellets with a single shot, and 12 pellets with a double shot.
				Crossbow	100	100	1/10	Zoom	No.
	The crossbow is very useful from long, medium or even short ranges if the enemy is not moving, but becomes somewhat hard to aim if the enemy is sprinting or moving in a zig-zag pattern.
Explosives
Picture	HUD icon	Kill icon	Ammo pickup icon	Name	Maximum damage	Damage held in Gravity Gun	Max. ammo	Radius	Given when spawned
				Fragmentation Grenade	250	225	5	256	Yes, 2 grenades.
	These will explode several seconds after being thrown or dropped. Their effectiveness can be greatly increased by using them with the Gravity Gun: a player can drop a grenade, pick it up with the Gravity Gun, and time their shot so that the grenade will explode right next to an opponent.
				Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher	250	N/A	3	384	No.
	Probably the best weapon for long and medium range killing, not only because of its power, also thanks to its laser guided rocket that allows hitting the target with a high level of precision.
			N/A	S.L.A.M	300	200	5	192	No.
	The S.L.A.M has two methods of use: the first one is as a satchel charge, the second one is using it as a trip mine. Both have the same explosion damage and radius, making this weapon a very useful tactic for protecting a specific point.

Maps

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch features 8 maps, several of which are based on existing Half-Life 2 maps with several differences, others being exclusive to the game.

Picture	Name	Comments
	Lockdown	Based on the Nova Prospekt map d2_prison_03, where the Antlion Guard attack occurs in the showers and bathrooms.
	Overwatch	Based on the City 17 map d3_c17_09, where Barney Calhoun is cornered by Combine Snipers during the city's uprising. Doesn't include the basement.
	Steam Lab	Original map, with inspiration from Kleiner's Lab and Black Mesa East. Includes a teleport.
	Underpass	Original map, set in City 17, and strongly Combine-oriented.
	Resistance	Original map, with inspirations from Ravenholm (outside) and Nova Prospekt (inside). Set inside a large brick building.
	Powerhouse	Original map, set in a powerhouse.
	Run Off	Based on the Canals map d1_canals_07 (the APC garage) and d1_canals_08, with dried canals.
	Halls3	Original map, added during the game's transition to the SteamPipe distribution system. Set in a series of buildings on the outskirts of City 17.

Development

Upon the release and subsequent critical reception of Half-Life 2, reviewers expressed disappointment with the game's lack of multiplayer. Two weeks after the initial release of Half-Life 2, Valve revealed and released Half-Life 2: Deathmatch on Steam, simultaneously with the Source SDK as a means of promoting game modifications built upon the platform. Post-release, the game was supported with new maps from Valve as well as updates to the game and its engine.

On May 30, 2007, Valve made an announcement that the game, along with Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, would be made available as a free promotional deal for all ATI graphics card users. The offer initially included the Source SDK, allowing players free access to mods, but this unintentional feature was later removed. Valve also announced another free promotional offer on January 10, 2008, which allows Nvidia graphics card users to download and play Half-Life 2: Deathmatch along with Portal: First Slice, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, and Peggle Extreme. Because of the large market share between ATI and Nvidia, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch was free for almost all graphics card users. The bonus has since been disabled.

Valve's The Orange Box does not include Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, however, the game was upgraded to use the Orange Box version of the Source engine in September 2010. In the same month, Deathmatch was released via Steam for macOS. A Linux version came more than two years later, in March 2013.

Reception

Half Life 2: Deathmatch received highly positive reviews with IGN giving it 9.7/10 and GameSpot giving it 9.2/10. The latter lauded the game for the Source engine's "impressive use of physics" and the available selection of maps. IGN paid similar compliments to the title, also speaking highly of the "fast play style that [Half-Life 2: Deathmatch] produces." Multiple reviews stated that the game suffered from large amount of lag upon release, but GameSpy noted that this was remedied soon after as more servers came online.

Gallery

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  Steam header.

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  Steam hero image.

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  Steam logo.

External links

• Half-Life 2: Deathmatch on Steam