For a little challenge on my latest playthrough of Half-Life 2, I decided to take one screenshot for every chapter since I already had some cool spots in mind. This “guide” acts as the resulting photo album, but will also include commands on how to try this out yourself!
 
 

Introduction and how to take awesome Source Engine screenshots

As is stated in the description, I wanted to switch things up with my next Half-Life 2 (HL2) playthrough by channelling my inner photographer. But what good is a professional photographer without sufficient equipment? For the task of taking HL2 screenshots, you’ll need access to the developer console, and enabling it is as simple as navigating to options > keyboard > advanced > enable developer console. After that, you can rebind the option labelled ‘toggle developer Console’ if you desire, but the default key is ` and that’s pretty good. Pressing that key at any time brings up a console where you can easily type in commands. Here are a few console commands which will enhance your Half-Life 2 pictures:
 

• cl_drawhud 0 – This command removes the user interface (health, suit, ammo, crosshair, etc.). You can turn it back on by typing ‘cl_drawhud 1‘ instead.
• impulse 200 (needs sv_cheats 1) – Inputting this does… nothing? That’s because it requires a separate command, ‘sv_cheats 1’ to be entered. The sv_cheats 1 command allows for cheat commands to be entered but will disable the ability to obtain Steam achievements until it is deactivated. Anyway, after sv_cheats is activated, this command will make your current weapon invisible.
• notarget (needs sv_cheats 1) – Applying this will make the game’s AI (usually you’d use it for enemies) ignore you. Side note: it is toggled on and off with the same command.
• god (needs sv_cheats 1) – INVINCIBILTIY! Similarly to the last command, it is enabled and disabled with the same command.

 
 
 

Chapter One: Point Insertion

 
 
 

Chapter Two: “A Red Letter Day”

 
 
 

Chapter Three: Route Kanal

 
 
 

Chapter Four: Water Hazard

 
 
 

Chapter Five: Black Mesa East

 
 
 

Chapter Six: “We Don’t Go to Ravenholm…”

 
 
 

Chapter Seven: Highway 17

 
 
 

Chapter Eight: Sandtraps

 
 
 

Chapter Nine: Nova Prospekt

 
 
 

Chapter Nine, part two (9a): Entanglement

 
 
 

Chapter Ten: Anticitizen One

 
 
 

Chapter Eleven: “Follow Freeman!”

 
 
 

Chapter Twelve: Our Benefactors

 
 
 

Chapter Thirteen: Dark Energy

 
 
 

Honourable Mentions

 
This screenshot didn’t make the cut because although it looks really nice, in my opinion it doesn’t really represent the chapter ‘Nova Prospekt’ as it is outside, at the very end of the chapter, and doesn’t contain antlions.
 
 

 
 
Although this sewer section from ‘Anticitizen One’ looks great and plays an awesome song (‘Space Ocean’/’Echoes of a Resonance Cascade’), again, I don’t associate it with the chapter due to it being a one-off scenario.
 
 

 
 
Hope you enjoy the Guide about Half-Life 2 – Image Screenshot for each Chapter List, if you think we should add extra information or forget something, please let us know via comment below, and we will do our best to fix or update as soon as possible!