This site is a collection of information on a problem with Half-Life 2 that has plagued many players of this otherwise excellent game. This problem is characterized by a sudden massive drop in frame rate when turning corners or moving into new areas of the game. These drops are usually accompanied by looping or stuttering sound during the frame rate drop which is how most people become aware of the problem. Aside from these isolated drops in frame rate, the game is otherwise perfectly smooth. These sudden drops kill the immersion and lead to a very frustrating experience. Below you will find additional details on this problem, some theories, and all responses from Valve on this problem.
Planet Half-Life has an update from Erik Johnson at Valve stating that the patch may be delayed a day for additional testing:
We're still working through some testing on this release. It might be something we'll want to hold for another day and release tomorrow.
Also, I have received a number of emails asking if the texture management fix will also work for stuttering problems in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. I have emailed Gary McTaggart about this and will post an update as soon as I hear back. I am guessing that Vampire has the same inherent problem based on the reports I'm seeing, but I do not know what kind of arrangement Troika Games has with Valve as far as receiving Source engine updates.
