Orange Box problem (360 version)

JaysonFour

In between dusk-to-dawn sessions of TF2, I've been working on completing Half-Life 2 (already beat Portal, and even TF2 gets old after a while). I'm having an issue during the chapter "Our Benefactors".

I'm running along, the only weapon I have is the upgraded gravity gun, and I'm in that long hallway with all the containment pods. I'd like to finish the game, but it seems every time I approach the bridge or grab-and-fling an empty pod at the approaching enemies, the game goes into a hard lock that requires me to crash the 360 and restart it.

I'm not sure of what to do next. Other games seem to play just fine, and the 360 doesn't seem to mind dusk-to-dawn sessions of anything else. It just doesn't like that game, I guess.

So, is my 360 about to bite the dust, or is it the game?

mojojoeo

if I recall correctly HL 2 was a port of the Oxbox version in that package- it could be related to that (episode 1 and 2 got the full xbox 360 treatment). Are you HD loaded or playing off the disk?

JaysonFour

I'm playing off the disc itself.

mastrius

This is just very highly likely a problem with your disc. A faulty part on the disc is stopping the game when it reads over that part of the disc. It just happens. Ive had it happen with games since the playstation 1.

urahonky

Try installing the game, and then clearing the HDD cache.

To clear the cache, go to My Xbox, then System settings (all the way to the right), go down to Memory, then hit Y on your HDD, when the next screen comes up hit X, X, LB, RB, X, X, and then say "yes" to perform maintenance on the HDD.

It'll make you redownload the patches but it might help.

maximumzero

mojojoeo wrote: »

if I recall correctly HL 2 was a port of the Oxbox version in that package- it could be related to that (episode 1 and 2 got the full xbox 360 treatment). Are you HD loaded or playing off the disk?

Just wanted to pop in the let you know that you're misinformed.

Half-Life 2 & Episode 1 got a full-on spit shine on the 360, and actually looks better than the PC version due to it using effects/textures that have been added to the Source engine that wasn't in the original release of HL2.

Valve never rolled those in the PC verison for whatever reason.

Jasoco

YES! I'm not the only one with this problem! This is the only place it freezes! As you get to the hallway with the pods you have to throw to get passed the enemies on the bridge.

Fuck! So close to the damn end.

I did install the game and it still happens. Fucking hell. I want to finish the game again!

I played the Xbox version back in the day and it didn't have this problem.

Is there anyone who DOESN'T have this happen in their game? How could it be the disc? My disc is fine.

maximumzero

Jasoco wrote: »

YES! I'm not the only one with this problem! This is the only place it freezes! As you get to the hallway with the pods you have to throw to get passed the enemies on the bridge.

Fuck! So close to the damn end.

I did install the game and it still happens. Fucking hell. I want to finish the game again!

I played the Xbox version back in the day and it didn't have this problem.

Is there anyone who DOESN'T have this happen in their game? How could it be the disc? My disc is fine.

I played through Half-Life 2 on the 360 in about mid-2008, so I was able to complete the game successfully apparently.

FyreWulff

I played through and beat the OXbox version of HL2, and it would try to almost hard lock on that part due physics overload or somesuch. Perhaps try chucking the pod at them then turning around so you don't actually see it happen, or do it from farther away so they have less detailed models loaded in.

mojojoeo

maximumzero wrote: »

mojojoeo wrote: »

if I recall correctly HL 2 was a port of the Oxbox version in that package- it could be related to that (episode 1 and 2 got the full xbox 360 treatment). Are you HD loaded or playing off the disk?

Just wanted to pop in the let you know that you're misinformed.

Half-Life 2 & Episode 1 got a full-on spit shine on the 360, and actually looks better than the PC version due to it using effects/textures that have been added to the Source engine that wasn't in the original release of HL2.

Valve never rolled those in the PC verison for whatever reason.

Ok...
I got that from this review

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/826/826062p1.html

From the article "This is clearly a port of the original Xbox version."

From my own expierence- The other two halflife games episode 1 and 2 were much better and recieved the upgrades you described than vanilla halflife. At least when I owned it there was a definite difference between episode one and two and vanilla halflife.

Just saying. IGN could/might/(is?) wrong alot... but thats where I got the info.

FyreWulff

Nope, HL2 is upgraded with HDR and such on the 360. The reason Episode 1 and 2 look better is because they just look better since they were made with later versions of the Source engines already, HL2 basically got a touch up but not a complete remake.

Jasoco

FyreWulff wrote: »

I played through and beat the OXbox version of HL2, and it would try to almost hard lock on that part due physics overload or somesuch. Perhaps try chucking the pod at them then turning around so you don't actually see it happen, or do it from farther away so they have less detailed models loaded in.

Are we sure that's why it locks though? What if I were to run backwards down the hall so that I'm not facing the enemies, how far would i make it before it locked up I wonder?

I'll try that next time. I'll also try the cache thing. Someone also suggested starting a new game from that chapter and seeing if it still happens. (Since at this point you only have one weapon anyway so you won't lose anything important.)

I just want to finish the game and get the achievement.

FyreWulff

No, but it's just a guess to helping you get through that part.

Jasoco

It's a shame because that's really the hardest part of that level because of all the enemies you face at once. The rest of the level is a cakewalk. How can that part be more taxing than any of the previous levels where you were taking on multiple Striders and helicopters with missiles and a bunch of people following you out in the city?

I had hoped it was just conditional. Maybe some value got set wrong way back in the game that didn't make any difference until you got to that point when it conflicted with the current game..

Next time I start up my 360 I'm going to try everything to get past it. I mean for Pete's sake, I went through Ravenholm with just a gravity gun and shot a damn garden gnome into space! I'm not going to let one hard freeze stop me!

urahonky

Did you have multiple saves set up? Probably not from what it sounds. That's usually what I do in any game that lets you.

Zilla360

Yeah, the game is very well known (on 360) for freezing in that section, does seem random though, only happened to me twice. The next time I tried I had no problem, and I didn't really do anything different.

Witchsight

urahonky wrote: »

Try installing the game, and then clearing the HDD cache.

To clear the cache, go to My Xbox, then System settings (all the way to the right), go down to Memory, then hit Y on your HDD, when the next screen comes up hit X, X, LB, RB, X, X, and then say "yes" to perform maintenance on the HDD.

It'll make you redownload the patches but it might help.

Would this affect DLC as well though? Something like Shivering Isles equipment and such...

FyreWulff

no, that only affects patches and the disk cache, not any actual content files.

Synthesis

Clearing your cache only means you'll have to re-update your games. No actual DLC will be lost.

This sounds almost certainly like a scratch on your disc matched up with HL2's multiple loading points per level, so I don't think clearing your cache will help. Still, definitely something to try first.

Jasoco

I doubt it is a scratch since it's only that location on every game. Plus my disc is scratch free.

Synthesis

Jasoco wrote: »

I doubt it is a scratch since it's only that location on every game. Plus my disc is scratch free.

Well, if it's scratch-free, we can probably rule that out.

That being said, "only that location" is a common symptom of a scratch. Same thing happened to me with my copy of Ghostbusters, second time through the game. At the end of the same level, it just hung on 'loading' endlessly.