Rare Half-Life Beta on Disc Found 26 Years Later
Game developer Chad Jessup has discovered a rare version of Half-Life, which was thought to be lost. This noticed TechSpot edition.
By words Jessup, in October 1998 — 26 years ago — he received a beta version of Half-Life burned onto a CD. The developer tested the game’s levels and then forgot about the disc. He found the physical copy decades later while cleaning out his personal storage.
Jessup admitted that he did not expect the disc to be preserved in normal condition. He managed to launch the game on the computer, although he had to install Windows ME to do so — the title only launched in compatibility mode with a rare version of the OS. The author also had to change the current date to October 1998 to fool the system.
According to the developer, the beta version appeared a few weeks before the game’s release in November 1998. It included several details that were later removed from the final version. In particular, a cut location called “Communication Center” was found in an early modification of Half-Life, which was supposed to be found in the game level “Forget Freeman”.
At the end of the summer, journalists from Game Rant announced that Valve Studios would present a new edition of the Half-Life 2 video game before the end of the year. Its release will be tied to the 20th anniversary of the title, which was released on November 16, 2004.
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