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[July 11th, 2001 ] Half-Life and Counter-Strike Updates Now Available

Multiplayer gamers will be required to update to Half-Life version 1.1.0.7and Half-Life: Counter-Strike 1.0.0.2 on July 11th at 3 PM pacific time. These updates include feature additions and bug fixes including the addition of Deathmatch Classic and a new update utility. Users can download the new versions from this website or upgrade through AutoUpdate, a program included as part of the Sierra Utilities. To open AutoUpdate, find the Sierra Utilities program group which appears by default under the Windows Start Menu.

[June 13, 2001] - Sierra and iGames Announce Game-center Based Counter-Strike League

Sierra and iGames are excited to announce the next game-center based Counter-Strike League (CSL). The league will start on Tuesday June 19th at premier iGames affiliated game centers across North America. Visit iGames to learn more.


[March 30, 2001] - Half-Life: Blue Shift Coming to the PC

Half-Life: Blue Shift, an all-new episode for Half-Life, will arrive in stores around the world this June. Blue Shift is an all-new single player episode surrounding the Black Mesa security guard introduced in Valve's classic action thriller, Half-Life. In development by Gearbox Software, creators of the critically acclaimed Half-Life: Opposing Force, Blueshift also contains the Half-Life HD Pack, which automatically upgrades the weapons and characters of all the games in the Half-Life saga with new high definition content. For more information, including screenshots and the Half-Life: Blue Shift trailer, visit the Half-Life: Blue-Shift website.


[March 14, 2001] - Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.6 Now Available

Sierra, Valve and Gearbox are proud to announce Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.6, the latest update for the official Half-Life expansion. Download the Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.6 Update (18.8 MB) from the Half-Life support page.


[February 20, 2001] - Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.4 Now Available

Sierra, Valve and Gearbox are proud to announce Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.4, the latest update for the official Half-Life expansion. This file, available for English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish versions of the game, includes several multiplayer updates including the new Capture the Flag map op4ctf_dam.


[December 6, 2000] - Hankerin' for a Half-Life Contest?

Future Games Network is giving you the chance to take home Half-Life: Platinum Edition, the brand-new Half-Life compilation, for free! To enter, visit FGN's Half-Life contest page and drop them an email. Contest ends January 5th, 2001.


[November 17, 2000] - Half-Life Coming to PlayStation 2

Sierra and Gearbox Software are proud to announce the development of Valve's Half-Life for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. Half-Life PlayStation 2 is an all-new experience for console gamers featuring a complete next-generation upgrade of the original ground-breaking game as well as entirely new multiplayer cooperative and competitive bonus games set within the Half-Life universe. All new advanced technology, enhanced characters and weapons, upgraded environments and never before seen levels define Half-Life for PlayStation 2 as the most advanced and impressive Half-Life ever made. The worldwide exclusive on this game will be featured in the January issue of GamePro magazine (U.S.).

Half-Life for PlayStation 2 is under development by Gearbox Software, developers of the award-winning Half-Life PC expansion, Half-Life: Opposing Force. Half-Life PlayStation 2 will ship in the second quarter of 2001.


[November 14, 2000] - Half-Life: Counter-Strike Arrives in Stores

Half-Life: Counter-Strike, the number one played online action game, is now available in North America. In Counter-Strike, opposing teams of terrorists and counter-terrorists must must complete specific goals to move through each mission. Half-Life: Counter-Strike also includes other Half-Life engine multiplayer experiences -- Half-Life Multiplayer, Half-Life: Opposing Force Multiplayer, and Team Fortress 1.5 -- in addition to three top Half-Life mods. Pick up your copy of Half-Life: Counter-Strike at the Sierra Store or wherever software is sold.


[November 14, 2000] - Half-Life: Platinum Edition Hits North America

Bring home the entire Half-Life universe in one box with Half-Life: Platinum Edition. Half-Life: Platinum Edition includes Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force, Team Fortress 1.5, Half-Life: Counter-Strike, and several of the best Half-Life modifications (Mods) ever produced. This is the must-have collection for those who haven't yet experienced the thrill of Half-Life.


[October 25, 2000] - Half-Life 1.1.0.4 Update Released October 25th Clean Suit

Sierra is pleased to announce Half-Life 1.1.0.4, the latest update to the award-winning first-person shooter from Valve. This required update contains three new Team Fortress 1.5 scenarios, adjustments on two TF classes, and many other new fixes and features.

Visit the Half-Life website to download the update.


[Sept 1, 2000] - Gunman Chronicles Announced

Sierra and Rewolf Software announced Gunman Chronicles today, a completely new stand-alone PC experience powered by Valve's Half-Life engine, at the European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) in London, England. It is due to ship worldwide this fall.

Gunman Chronicles expands on all the amazing effects and frighteningly realistic artificial intelligence that made Half-Life the undisputed king of first-person action games.

In development by Rewolf Software, Gunman Chronicles is set in the western spiral of the galaxy, five years after a horrifying alien infestation. The adventure leads players to four unexplored planets with an amazing variety of habitats for enemies, features 40+ hours of gameplay, customizable weapons, original sound and music, and 30 new monsters, and multiplayer modes for up to 32 players via LAN and Internet connections.

Founded in 1997, Rewolf Software is a digital entertainment group comprised of artists, designers, and programmers from around the world, who met online. Gunman Chronicles is Rewolf's debut title.


[Aug 31, 2000] - Counter Strike Coming to Stores this Fall

Half-Life: Counter Strike, a compendium of the entire Half-Life online experience, will arrive in stores everywhere this fall.

Headlining the collection is Counter Strike, the Internet's #1 online action game (Source: Gamespy). Developed by the Counter Strike team in conjunction with Valve, Counter-Strike casts players as a member of either a terrorist or counter-terrorist team. The game is played in a variety of scenarios with varying objectives, including rescue missions, assassination, bomb diffusion, and more.

Also included are Half-Life multiplayer, Team Fortress Classic, Half-Life: Opposing Force multiplayer, and three new new MODs created by several of the top level designers within the Half-Life community.


[Aug 30, 2000] - Half-Life Platinum Coming this Holiday Season

Half-Life: Platinum, a collector's edition that includes each of the single and multiplayer games in the Half-Life franchise, is headed to a software retailer near you this holiday season. Available on PC CD-ROM, Half-Life: Platinum contains the original Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic, Half-Life: Opposing Force®, the number one online action game -- Half-Life: Counter-Strike, and a collection of top MODs (game modifications) created by members of the Half-Life community.


[Aug 7, 2000] - Win Half-Life: Adrenaline Pack at 3DGF Network

If you haven't experienced the thrill of Half-Life, 3DGF Network has a way to get you started for free. During the month of August, 3DGF Network will be giving away several large prize packages that include copies of Half-Life: Adrenaline Pack, the exciting Half-Life compilation containing Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force, and Team Fortress Classic.


[June 28, 2000] - Half-Life Version 1.1.0.1 Released

Valve has released Half-Life version 1.1.0.1 today, a minor update to Half-Life that addresses several unforeseen issues introduced in version 1.1, including the fakelag exploit and long jump problem. For a complete list of issues, please see the readme.txt file.

The update is available in two different versions. Users of Half-Life 1.1 can update to today's version by downloading a small (approx. 1.5 MB) 1.1.0.1 update file. Users of all other versions, including out-of-the-box versions of Half-Life: Game of the Year and Half-Life: Adrenaline Pack must download the larger 1.1.0.1 update, which includes the full version of Team Fortress 1.5 in addition to the newer fixes introduced in today's version.

For a list of files and download locations, please visit the Half-Life support page.


[June 16, 2000] - Randy Pitchford Interviewed

Half-Life Italia has posted an english language interview with Gearbox's lead game designer.


[June 12, 2000] - Half-Life: Opposing Force 1.1.0.0 Update Available

This Half-Life: Opposing Force update includes Capture the Flag. For a complete list of updates, check out the Readme file included in the update.

This update requires the Half-Life Update 1.1.0.0 released June 8th, 2000. Please install this update before installing the Half-Life: Opposing Force patch.


[June 9, 2000] - Half-Life Update 1.1 Released

The long-awaited Half-Life 1.1.0.0. Update was released today, adding updated versions of popular Half-Life modifications (MODs), new networking code, and Team Fortress 1.5 (and update of Team Fortress classic) to the original Half-Life.

"The Half-Life Internet 'viewership' already exceeds many TV shows in size," says Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve, L.L.C. "The new games, MODs, tools, and networking systems will continue the Half-Life community's growth, and assist the MOD makers as they develop their next generation games."

Worldcraft 3.3 and the Half-Life SDK 2.0, updated versions of software that allows users to create their own Half-Life mods, were also released to the development community today.


[May 3, 2000] - Half-Life: Opposing Force Gets CTF

Gearbox Readies Self-Made Mod for Best-Selling Expansion

Gearbox Software, in conjunction with Valve, L.L.C., today announced the upcoming release of a completely new multiplayer game for their best-selling game expansion, Half-Life: Opposing Force (OpFor).

OpFor CTF (Capture the Flag) casts players as a member of one of two teams comprised of characters from both Half-Life and Half-Life: Opposing Force. Featuring a variety of action oriented power-ups and a brand new weapon; OpFor CTF will ship with new maps and the Worldcraft entity files needed to create custom OpFor CTF maps.

"Opposing Force let gamers continue to enjoy the single-player experience of Half-Life. With Half-Life multiplayer so popular on the Internet, we wanted Opposing Force to extend the multiplayer experience as well," said Randy Pitchford, Director of Gearbox Software.

"We have had a lot of people asking us and MOD developers for a pure CTF game, and now Gearbox has produced it and is giving it away to Opposing Force customers," said Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve L.L.C. "This is a good thing for our online players, and gives people another reason to try out Opposing Force if they haven't already."

OpFor CTF will be made available free of charge later this month as part of an Opposing Force update.


[April 11, 2000] - Counter-Strike Team Partners with Valve

The Counter-Strike development team and Valve today announced Valve's support for on-going development of Counter-Strike, the popular multiplayer modification (MOD) for Valve's awarding winning debut title Half-Life.

"The financial and technical support from Valve is a big help in continuing to evolve Counter-Strike. It lets us focus on making Counter-Strike a better game and respond to gamers requests for features and fine-tuning," said Minh Le, Project Leader of Counter-Strike development. "Distributing Counter-Strike 1.0 as a free upgrade to the two million Half-Life players will grow the Counter-Strike community enormously."

"We made a major investment in the MOD community early on with activities like the MOD Expo and the release of tools and source code," said Gabe Newell, Managing Director of Valve. "With Half-Life still a top seller at retail, and generating over 350 million player-minutes per month on the Internet, a lot of the credit for that goes to the MOD community's support of Half-Life. Working with Minh and Cliffe is one way of showing our on-going commitment to them and all the gamers that make Half-Life the most popular game on the Internet."

Counter-Strike was first showcased at the Half-Life MOD Expo '99 in San Francisco and, after a series of subsequent releases, has become the premier realistic combat game on the Internet since its initial release late last year. Currently Counter-Strike is at Beta release 6, with future releases to be made available shortly via Half-Life's built-in MOD browser or via download from http://www.Counter-Strike.net/.

Counter-Strike casts players as a member of either a terrorist or counter-terrorist team. Each team has unique weapons and capabilities. The game is played in a variety of maps with varying objectives, including rescue missions, assassination, bomb diffusion, and more. More information on Counter-Strike can be found through the official Web site at http://www.Counter-Strike.net/.

Founded in 1996, Valve develops entertainment software. Half-Life is Valve's debut title. Since its release in November 1998, Half-Life has won over 50 Game of the Year Awards from publications that include PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, and CNET's Gamecenter. More information about Valve is available through the company's Web site at www.valvesoftware.com.


[January 26, 2000] - Homeworld Chosen in PCXL Awards

Homeworld went home with PC Accelerator magazine's Best Design Award this month, one of several honors given to Sierra titles in the magazine's annual awards competition.

"The most innovative game this year used its 3D perspective to make old 2D style RTS games look a little tired," says PCXL. "Balanced units, endless strategies, and cool graphics made Homeworld a welcome addition to an oft-duplicated genre."
Also honored:

Alex Garden (Homeworld)
All Star Game Conceptualist

Tammy Dargan (SWAT 3)
All-Star Level Designer

Charity James as Grace Nakimura (Gabriel Knight 3)
Best Actress

"Otis" the Security Guard (Half-Life: Opposing Force)
Best Supporting Actor


[January 26, 2000] - FGN Selects Top 1999 Games

Future Games Network's (FGN) newsletter, Gamer's Gazette, has named their choices for the best games of 1999.

Included are Homeworld (Best PC Game), Half-Life: Opposing Force (Best PC Add-on), Gabriel Knight 3 (Best PC Adventure Game), and Pharaoh (Best PC World Builder Sim).

[January 18, 2000] - 1000-Year Half-Life

It's official. Half-Life is the "Game of the Millennium," or at least according to the readers of the IGN PC website. A last minute push gave Half-Life the votes needed to edge a last minute victory over runners-up EverQuest and StarCraft. The hotly-contested online poll concluded January 14th.

[January 3, 2000] - WON.net Upgrades Scheduled

Beginning Monday, January 3, WON.net will begin a series of upgrades to their online multiplayer gaming service. These upgrades will increase the overall speed and reliability of multiplayer sessions and offer better connectivity for users located outside of North America.

As a result, some WON.net services, including multiplayer support for Homeworld, Half-Life, and Tribes, may be unavailable for short periods. Every effort will be made to schedule server outages during low usage periods. All work will be complete Monday, January 17.

Learn more about the changes happening at WON.net in the WON.net Info Center

[December 14, 1999] - Perfect Half-Life Sites? Dream on!

WON.net has named the winners of their four-week Half-Life website builiding contest, Create the Dream. See the the top webpages on Won.net's Homepage Central.

[December 9, 1999] - Build It, and They Will Come

The Half-Life Programming Planet is a new online resource for Half-Life level and mod designers. The site includes a developers forum, useful links to Half-Life sites, and nearly 30 tutorials on every aspect of programming and design.

To get started developing your own Half-Life material, the first step is getting your hands on the Half-Life Standard Software Developer's Kit (SDK). The downloadable SDK contains 12 MB of zipped source code to get you started down the road of online fame and glory.

[December 6, 1999] - 'Tis the Season: New Op For Maps

Half-Life: Opposing Force players, you better not pout (I'm telling you why). Sierra is rolling out new Opposing Force-enabled versions of the most popular multiplayer maps from Half-Life every day this week (December 6th-10th).

Subtransit December 10th
Bounce December 9th
Undertow December 8th
Frenzy December 7th
Crossfire December 6th

[November 30, 1999] - Half-Life is Action Game Most-Played Online

Half-Life remains the number one online action game "by a landslide", this week, logging more than twice the online players as its nearest competitor. The tally was compiled by online gaming site Gamespy, which routinely tracks Internet multiplayer gaming sessions. All Half-Life sessions are counted towards the total; including Half-Life deathmatch, Team Fortress Classic, and Half-Life: Opposing Force deathmatch. Current server and player totals can be found online on Gamespy's statistics page.

[November 25, 1999] - 9/10 at GameSpot

GameSpot's review dishes up the love for Half-Life: Opposing Force, saying "The official expansion for the genre-redefining Half-Life in turn sets a new standard of quality for future action-game mission packs."

[November 24, 1999] - Op For Reviewed

Gamespot UK
"…crackles with the tension, energy and narrative drive which made Half-Life such a massive success."
Daily Radar
"Those that had a rollicking good time playing Half-Life are going to eat Opposing Force with a spoon."
Visionary Shotgun
Score: 4 out of 5 Headcrabs
Damage Gaming
"Opposing Force is the best mission pack I have ever played, period."

[November 23, 1999] - Opposing Force 1.0.0.1 Update

The HOTFIX Update (version 1.0.0.1) creates the ability to run games over multiple subnets, adds the pipe wrench alt-fire animation in multiplayer, adds the Displacer animation animation in multiplayer, and adds AutoUpdate support to the Sierra Utilities.

Download Version 1.0.0.1 Update from Sierra's FTP Site.

[November 23, 1999] - Opposing Force Reviewed on GameProWorld

"In Opposing Force, Gearbox has done one hell of a job in creating not just an add-on for Half-Life, but a continuation of a masterpiece" writes reviewer Jason Samuel. Read the full review

[November 23, 1999] - Opposing Force in Europe

Local-language versions of Opposing Force will begin arriving in Europe next week. Availability dates are subject to change and will vary slightly by region:

German - November 29
French - November 29
Italian - November 29
Spanish - November 29

[November 17, 1999] - Opposing Force Arrives This Week!

Half-Life: Opposing Force returns you to the Black Mesa Research facility as one of the military specialists sent in to eliminate Gordon Freeman. In addition to its exciting new single-player experience, Opposing Force features a large collection of fresh multiplayer content, including new weapons, player characters, and 15 multiplayer maps.

Pick up your copy of Opposing Force in software stores across North America beginning Friday, November 19th or reserve your copy online at the Sierra Store.

[November 15, 1999] - Half-Life: Op For Launch Party Coverage

Check out WON.net's coverage of the Half-Life: Opposing Force Live the Dream Tournament and Op For Launch Party.

[November 15, 1999] - WONswap: Download Half-Life Skins, Maps, and Mods

John Vechey , WON.net's own Mr. WONswap, has posted an exclusive Half-Life: Opposing Force preview alongside an extra helping of user-created maps for Half-Life Mods, including Team Fortress Classic, Counterstrike, and Cold Ice.

What's WONswap you say? WONswap is an exclusive file transferring utility that allows you to search, download and seamlessly install user-created maps, models and spray paints. Say goodbye to unwieldy FTP clients and the bother of wading through file directories forever!

Download WONswap and let the games begin! (Requires WONswap and the full-version of Half-Life)

[November 15, 1999] - Create the Dream Contest

Looking for a free host and the chance to win some free stuff? Register to host your Half-Life site on WON.net before December 5th and you'll be you'll be eligible to win several great prizes, including a Creative Annihilator Video Card, Voodoo 3 Card or copies of a signed copy of Half-Life: Opposing Force!

[November 15, 1999] - Op For Trailer

Take a closer look at Opposing Force's new characters, baddies, and weapons with this trailer of in game footage.

[November 3, 1999] - Dream Contest Finals to be Held at Op For Launch Party

WON.net and Sierra have announced the four finalists in the Half-Life: Opposing Force Live the Dream Tournament being hosted by WON.net and Clan World Network. The finalists now head to San Francisco for a live Championship Tournament held at Club-i on November 10, 1999. The Championship will be played using Half-Life: Opposing Force (a.k.a. Op For) developed by Gearbox Software, and will also serve as the launch party for the game. The entire event will be broadcast live on The Game Dive from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm PST. Read the full press release.

[November 1, 1999] - Opposing Force on the Radar

"Everyone's 'game of the year' returns with an expansion pack that makes us glad we've never taken Half-Life off the hard drive" says IGN affiliate Daily Radar after spending time with Half-Life: Opposing Force, due for worldwide release later this month. Get the full preview, exclusive screenshots, and the whopping Opposing Force Trailer online at Daily Radar.

[October 28, 1999] - Dream Contest Winners

WON.netTM and SierraTM have announced the 12 Round One winners in the Half-Life: Opposing Force Live the Dream Tournament being hosted by WON.net and Clan World Network. Round One winners will spar again over Halloween weekend for a chance to participate in the live championship event held at Club-i in San Francisco, Calif. on November 10, 1999. Championship players will compete using Half-Life: Opposing Force (a.k.a. Op For), developed by Gearbox Software. This will be the first time consumers will play this entirely new episode for Half-Life.

[October 26, 1999] - New Screenshots!

Take a look in the Media section. We've posted some new screenshots for you.

[October 15, 1999] - Dreamy Half-Life Tournament

Have gun, will travel? Then the Half-Life: Live the Dream contest is for you. Beginning in mid-October, four winners of the 16-player free-for-all deathmatch tournament will receive all-expenses paid trips to San Francisco. There, they'll join up with Gearbox Software and get a whack at the all-new Half-Life: Opposing Force before it hits the streets. The sign-up period ends Wednesday, October 20th, so act fast! Register at the Clan World Network.

[October 13, 1999] - Half-Life: Opposing Force FAQ

Looking for the latest scoop on the highly anticipated game expansion for Half-Life? Well the Half-Life: Opposing Force Semi-Official FAQ has been recently updated with all the latest and greatest OP For information.

[Sept 29, 1999] - OpFor Mention at GameCenter

Half-Life: Opposing Force was one of the games highlighted in GameCenter's Fall Harvest feature. There's a short write-up and some screens.

[Sept 13, 1999] - More All-Stars Announced for Half-Life: Opposing Force

Late last week Sierra and Gearbox Software announced four more members of their all-star group of level designers for Half-Life: Opposing Force. These designers are responsible for some of the most played multiplayer maps ever. Check out the official release for all the details or head over to Gamespot UK for additional information.

[Aug 24, 1999] - Half-Life: Opposing Force Preview & Interview

Today's dose of Half-Life: Opposing Force goodness comes to us courtesy of Gamepen. The good folks over at Gamepen have posted a six page preview of Half-Life: Opposing Force, the official game expansion for Half-Life. The article also contains an in-depth interview with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford, lead designer on the project.

[July 15, 1999] - New Half-Life: Opposing Force Shots

A couple of cool new screenshots have been added to the Half-Life: Opposing Force site. Mmmmm .50 Desert Eagle with laser sight.

[July 12, 1999] - Half-Life: Opposing Force In The News

Half-Life: Opposing Force is taking the journalistic world by storm. Start off with an in-depth preview on Halflife.org. Then cruise over to GA-Source for an interview with All-star Level Designer Levelord that reveals some details on his multiplayer level for Opposing Force. Want More? Check out the previews on 3D Action Planet and UGN 3D. Finally, head back to Halflife.org and check out their series of interviews with Gearbox Software, the developer of Half-Life: Opposing Force. The ongoing series, called Shifting Through the Gears, has featured interviews with Lead Programmer John Fauldenbury, Art Director Brian Martel,, Lead Level Designer Rob Heironimus, and Level Designer Mike Wardwell.

[July 7, 1999] - Gearbox Interview on Gamedesign.net

Rob Heironimus, lead level designer on Half-Life: Opposing Force, recently sat down with Gamedesign.net to answer a few questions about making the official Half-Life game expansion. You can check out the entire interview on Gamedesign.net.

[June 25, 1999] - Preview at PC Gamer Online

PC Gamer Online has posted a preview of Opposing Force. The preview features lots of info from the game's producer, Randy Pitchford of Gearbox, so go check it out.

[June 10, 1999] - Half-Life: Opposing Force Preview And Interview

The folks over at Adrenaline Vault have come down with a case of Half-Life: Opposing Force fever. Avault has posted an in-depth preview of Half-Life: Opposing Force, the official game expansion for Half-Life, and an interesting interview with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford, lead designer on the project.

[May 26, 1999] - Half-Life: Opposing Force Previewed

IGN PC has posted an in-depth preview of Half-Life: Opposing Force, the highly anticipated game expansion for Half-Life. Head on over to the preview to get some juicy tidbits on this amazing addition to the Half-Life universe.

[April 22, 1999] - Half-Life Interviews Galore

It's been a busy couple of days for Half-Life in the press. There's a brief interview with Valve Software's Gabe Newell at The Hive which covers E3 and TFC. Marc Laidlaw (Half-Life's story author) shares a few words at Loonygames.com about life before and after writing for Half-Life. And Randy Pitchford of Gearbox has been talking up a storm about Half-Life: Opposing Force. Check out the Adrenaline Vault and GA-Source to read what he has to say about the Half-Life expansion pack and the company that's making it.

[April 16, 1999] - Half-Life Expansion Pack

Half-Life fans are rejoicing with the news that Half-Life: Opposing Force will be hitting the stores this fall. Developed by Gearbox, Half-Life: Opposing Force offers an entirely new episode of single player action and will offer an enormous variety of new multiplayer content. Gamers play a soldier this time around, instead of Gordon Freeman. Opposing Force features a host of new military, experimental and alien weapons, a fierce new alien race, and new multiplayer maps designed by industry all-stars.


   Available NOW!

For more news on the Half-Life universe visit the Half-Life news page

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