HLamp 1.10

Created by Disk2

Disk2@CSCentral.com

http://www.cscentral.com/hlamp

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (the all-important FAQs)

 

These FAQs may change, so check the website (http://www.cscentral.com/hlamp) for updates if your question isn’t listed below.

 

Q: Will HLamp work with my mod?

 

A: Yes, it should.  I designed HLamp to work with any Half-Life mod.  I have personally tested it with Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, and Team Fortress Classic, but it should work with any mod.

 

Q: I am a loser that plays in software mode because my video card sucks.  I don’t deserve to live.  I should just go jump off a cliff right now.  Before I jump, can you tell me why won’t HLamp work for me?

 

A: Because.  It’s not worth my time to include support for software video mode since very few people use it.  If you do use it, you suck.  Oh sorry, did I mention that already?  I might add support for it if I have absolutely nothing better to do, but right now I have no plans for supporting software mode.  Do yourself a favor and invest in a better video card.  OpenGL and DirectX users should have no problems with HLamp.

 

Q: Does HLamp hook into the Half-Life engine?

 

A: HLamp does not use a hook to function.  In case you’re wondering, HLamp doesn’t do nearly as much as HLirc did with the Half-Life process, so I’m not worrying about it being detected by the Valve Anti-Cheat at any point in the future.  HLirc was detected solely because of the HLirc console.  The VAC specifically checks for changes in Half-Life’s instructions.  Since HLirc had to modify several instructions in the Half-Life process to function, it was detected by the VAC.  HLamp doesn’t do anything similar to this, so there shouldn’t be any problems with the VAC.

 

Q: You and your program suck.  How do I uninstall HLamp?

 

A: You don’t!  It will stay on your computer forever!  There is no escape! Muahahaha!  Kidding!  Close WinAMP and delete GEN_HLamp.dll.  Done.

 

Q: Is HLamp legal to use in the league I play in (CAL, IGL, etc.)?

 

A: Although rules vary from league to league, the answer is most likely no.  HLamp is an external program that you can use in Half-Life, and the use of such add-ons is forbidden by most leagues.  Besides, who would want to listen to music while actually competing against another clan?  That’s just stupid.

 

Q: My Shoutcast streams won’t load with HLamp.  What am I doing wrong?

 

A: The stream URL must include the “http://” at the beginning of the URL and “:port” at the end, usually “:8000”.

 

Q: I have both WinAMP 2.x and WinAMP 3.  Which version do you recommend using while playing Half-Life?

 

A: I personally use WinAMP 2.81 for in-game listening for one simple reason: WinAMP 3 is a huge resource hog.  The last thing I want is FPS lag during a battle.  I’m sticking with WinAMP 2.x.  <rant>WinAMP is supposed to be an MP3 player, not an all-in-one media player.  The video player is mediocre at best.  I, like many others, think WinAMP 3 sucks.  Go back to basics, Nullsoft, and don’t let AOL cloud your judgment.</rant>

 

Q: Why don’t you write a WinAMP 3 component rather than making us WinAMP 3 users install the plug-in loader?

 

A: Mainly because maintaining two copies of code can lead to bugs, inconsistency, and wasted time.  Plus writing WinAMP 2.x plug-ins is much easier than writing WinAMP 3 components.  So the answer is basically that I’m lazy.  There.  I’ve said it.

 

Q: Are you going to release the HLamp source code at some point?

 

A: Maybe.

 

Q: Why the hell did you name it HLamp?!  That name sucks.  You suck too.  How am I supposed to pronounce it?  Is it even pronounceable?!  I want to kill you with a claw hammer and/or a sharp, rusty ice pick for choosing such a stupid name.

A: It’s supposed to be something like HL and WinAMP mixed together.  If I had to actually say the name of the program—and I have never had to do that—I would probably go with “Half-Life amp”.

 

Q: How can I get in touch with you?

 

A: First, please don’t email me with HLamp tech support questions.  Ask on the HLamp forums, linked on the website (http://www.cscentral.com/hlamp).  If you need to contact me about something else, you can send an email to disk2@cscentral.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.  I can also be found on GamesNET IRC in channel #cscentral.

 

 

 

 

Known Issues and Limitations