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Half-Life 2 Hints
General Airboat Notes
1 of 9: To enter the airboat, stand next to it and press the "Use item" key while facing it.
2 of 9: The same key will get you out of the boat, but only if it's stopped or moving very slowly.
3 of 9: The movement keys are the same as for when you're running around on foot, with the main difference being that the two strafing keys don't strafe the airboat left and right, but instead turn it left and right.
4 of 9: To be precise, they turn the front of the airboat left and right when you're going forward, and the back of the airboat left and right when you're going in reverse. When the airboat is stopped, the front of it will turn unless it's sliding or floating slowly backwards.
5 of 9: You don't need to worry about the vehicle having a certain amount of health after which it's useless scrap, and it's impossible to overturn, so go ahead and drive around crazily and run into solid walls at full speed if that's what floats your boat (though note that *you* will take damage from the impact).
6 of 9: The airboat's primary use is in getting you safely past large stretches of radioactive sludge and other hazards (like enemy assault vehicles) that you could never survive on foot.
7 of 9: It can also be very handy for speeding past metro cop encounters or running over cops with. (It's also very hard for them to shoot you when you're maneuvering in the boat at top speed.)
8 of 9: Besides enemies, you can ram supply crates with the airboat to break them open. Any items in the crates or lying about loose can be picked up if you need them simply by running over them -- no need to leave the boat. (Which is good, since many supplies are floating in radioactive sludge.)
9 of 9: NOTE: The airboat has a powerful headlamp on it that you can turn on and off with the Flashlight key.
