Half Life 2

*Unprecedented access behindHalf-LifeandHalf-Life 2 *A forward by Valve founder Gabe Newell *Hundreds of art, design, preproduction, and other art pieces crammed into the book *Over a dozen key members of Valve's staff interviewed *Officially approved by Valve *Behind City 17 and other locations *The development of the Source engine *A rogue's gallery of beasts, characters, and monstrosities *Key weapons development revelations *A tour of many of the game's locations, from inception to completion *Filled with art, screens, and anecdotes from the Valve team

Modify gameplay, add textures, and integrate amazing effects Develop intense environments, then share your design with players online How cool would it be to build your own levels and customized weapons for Half-Life 2? This book will get you ready to mod so you can enjoy the ultimate gaming experience. You'll find out how to create your own maps, strategically place high-tech military equipment, and modify your levels for smoother play. All this on the bonus CD-ROM Samples from the book A video walk-through of your first mod Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) CS2 tryout version NormalMapGenerator and Compressonator by ATI Technologies, Inc. Packrat version 0.95 for Half-Life 2 and Adobe Photoshop Normal Map and DDS Authoring Plugins For details and complete system requirements, see the CD-ROM appendix. Discover how to Design maps and playing levels Load your creation into the game Expand your map with additions Include armor and weapons Distribute levels on the Web Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Ever wonder where you go when you die? Could there be a world, an afterlife, that exists parallel to this one, with its own dangers and daemons? Take away all your misconceptions about religion and reality and embrace the horrible truth. There is no heaven. There is no hell. There is only Abaddon.

"The finest book on video games yet. Simon Parkin thinks like a critic, conjures like a novelist, and writes like an artist at the height of his powers—which, in fact, he is." —Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter On January 31, 2012, a twenty-three-year-old student was found dead at his keyboard in an internet café while the video game he had been playing for three days straight continued to flash on the screen in front of him. Trying to reconstruct what had happened that night, investigative journalist Simon Parkin would discover that there have been numerous other incidents of "death by video game." And so begins a journey that takes Parkin around the world in search of answers: What is it about video games that inspires such tremendous acts of endurance and obsession? Why do we so thoroughly lose our sense of time and reality within this medium? How in the world can people play them . . . to death? In Death by Video Game, Parkin examines the medical evidence and talks to the experts to determine what may be happening, and introduces us to the players and game developers at the frontline of virtual extremism: the New York surgeon attempting to break the Donkey Kong world record . . . the Minecraft player three years into an epic journey toward the edge of the game's vast virtual world . . . the German hacker who risked prison to discover the secrets behind Half-Life 2 . . . Riveting and wildly entertaining, Death by Video Game will change the way we think about our virtual playgrounds as it investigates what it is about them that often proves compelling, comforting, and irresistible to the human mind—except for when it’s not.

Half-Life(R) 2; Full Strategy -Essential strategies and maps for all 14 mission chapters -Complete bestiary tactics, including how to take on the monsters and Combine forces -In-depth evidence of all G-Man locations -Deep combat strategy against the oppressive forces of evil -Key script, back-story, and hidden game elements exposed -Full-color maps showing every major item location -Dozens of tactics for using the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator

An autobiography by Swanee Hunt, daughter of the legendary oil magnate H. L. Hunt, Bill Clinton's Ambassador to Austria, and internationally renowned philanthropist.

New insights from the science of science Facts change all the time. Smoking has gone from doctor recommended to deadly. We used to think the Earth was the center of the universe and that the brontosaurus was a real dinosaur. In short, what we know about the world is constantly changing. Samuel Arbesman shows us how knowledge in most fields evolves systematically and predictably, and how this evolution unfolds in a fascinating way that can have a powerful impact on our lives. He takes us through a wide variety of fields, including those that change quickly, over the course of a few years, or over the span of centuries.

Annie and Peter decide to adopt, setting their sights on a child from Africa. But, when they receive surprising news from the adoption agency, their marriage is put to the test, secrets of the past are exposed, and this couple approaching midlife is left with an unexpected choice. Politically charged, funny and tack-sharp, THE CALL is a startling portrait of cultural divide, casting global issues into the heart of an American home.