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Half-Life Episode 1 Gold, Details on 2 and 3

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the joy-in-city-17 dept.

Gamespot has the word that the first of the Half-Life 2 episodes has gone gold. They also have details on the upcoming Episodes 2 and 3. Episode 1 is to be released on the 1st of June. From the article: "In addition to two new multiplayer modes and the Lost Coast tech demo, Episode One will sport a preview of its sequel, Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The expansion, the existence of which was revealed in February, will add another four- to six-hour mini-campaign to the Half-Life 2 saga when it is released later this year. Previously, the game had no official release window or date. Today's gold announcement also was the first official confirmation that a third Half-Life 2 episodic update is in development. Like Episode Two, Valve divulged little in the way of information about Episode Three, saying only that it was the last 'in a trilogy ... that will conclude by Christmas of 2007.'"

92 comments

  1. Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by republican+gourd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... because Steam forces an update that causes HL2 to freak out and crashs on my machine. Older versions were fine, more recent ones are absolutely unplayable. Since you basically can't only run *some* updates, its impossible to get the old version of the game back, so I'm screwed out of my $80 or whatever I paid on zero day. I will never suggest to anyone that they buy anything under this business model, its rape city.

    1. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by ehvoy · · Score: 1

      Wow, I experienced the same problem with both HL2 and Sin Episodes--the update in question being the latest for Sin Episodes. Both games start out fine, but after about 10 minutes of play begin to stutter, then freeze and eventually crash the entire machine, requiring a reset. I was ready to start looking for diagnostics utilities to run against my video card, but maybe the problem is steam related...

    2. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by NATIK · · Score: 1

      HL2 Have always crashed and frozen my comp randomly, I have learned to live with it...

    3. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by SpecBear · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I decide that HL2 would be the last Steam game I purchased the first time HL2 refused to run because too much time had passed since the last time Steam had updated. I wasn't permitted to play a single player game on my local machine until I allowed the software to phone home and "update".

      The sad part is, the online content delivery system has the potential to be a great business model. But it seems like the entertainment industry looks at every technological advance as an opportunity to screw the customer.

      On a side note, Valve offers a pretty compelling refutation to the idea that piracy drives up the cost of games. Steam practically eliminates the cost of piracy as well as physical production and distribution. So why does it seem like the games are even more expensive?

    4. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by EnronHaliburton2004 · · Score: 2

      HL2 refused to run because too much time had passed since the last time Steam had updated.

      Interesting. It's been 6 months since I last started Steam-- last week I fired up Steam to download The Lost Coast. Steam updated in less then an hour, and experienced no problems whatsoever.

      I think Steam is a pretty good idea. Sure beats having to drive to Best Buy when I just want to play a game during the evening.

      --
      94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
    5. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by goodcow · · Score: 0

      I hadn't touched Steam or Half Life 2 in months, but HL2 always worked fine. I finally tried the new Sin a couple days ago, and also had random lockups doing mundane things, and poor performance issues. I didn't try HL2 though, because I was too frustrated, and it's finals week. But now, after reading these posts, maybe it is indeed Steam. Time to find out if Valve offers any kind of customer service, otherwise I'll have to threaten a chargeback on my VISA and see what fun comes of that.

    6. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Have you talked with Valve customer support about this? We have a pretty aggressive track record when it comes to addressing customer complaints... at least the verifiable kind. Believe me, we don't want our updates to cause problems with existing legitimate installations. That wouldn't serve our purposes any more than yours.

      A.C. (anonymous Valve employee; opinions above are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the company, etc.)

    7. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by republican+gourd · · Score: 1, Informative

      No, I haven't. It didn't even occur to me as something that would be a likely solution.... what would Valve do, give me a *special* patch for special customers? If I had called at all, it would have been to demand my money back... but since this happened quite some time after purchase I didn't think it was particularly worth it.

      Customer support always assumes that the customer doesn't know what you're doing. I'd rather not spend an hour or more having somebody walk me through a re-install just to see the problem recur. (I had already done this). Further, I had already verified that it was a HL2 update issue (rather than a change of a machine) because it literally changed from working -> broken within a single Steam update. I had played some time before, shut it off, turned it back on, watched Steam update itself, then watched it not work anymore. All my other intensive games, (Doom3, FarCry)... working perfectly.

      The game was simply fucked, which turned me off as a customer permanently. I'm sure you guys offer great customer service or whatever, but I'm one of those people that doesn't want to waste hours of my life talking to you over a problem that *may* or may not be resolved to retain me as a customer for a delivery system that I have grown to absolutely despise.

      I'm not trying to sound like a crank or a zealot here: I just feel strongly that customer service, regardless of its quality, does *not* make up for a shitty situation. Prevention vs Cure, etc.

      ---

      On a related note, I've just given up on purchasing computer games at all. Even without steam, return of 'bad games' is just aboute completely impossible. No store will accept returns for any reason anymore out of fear of piracy. This includes situations where the game simply sucks. Steam is worse, because you can't even dump off your mistaken purchase on the used game stores and get *something* back.

      I'm not sold on digital delivery at all. As much as I hate the way the publishers do business, at least I have something to show for my money that they can't take away.

    8. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 1
      what would Valve do, give me a *special* patch for special customers?


      No, not if they are sane.

      Consider: Many programs are not 64-bit safe, and thus break when they're merely recompiled. However, making them 64-bit safe does not break the program for 32-bit users, unless done in an extremely stupid fashion. In fact, testing on other architectures can reveal bugs that you wouldn't see otherwise -- for instance, a crash that happens very rarely on x86, but every single time on (say) SPARC.

      I'd rather not spend an hour or more having somebody walk me through a re-install just to see the problem recur.


      Handle it online if you can, it'll be less of your time and less of theirs. You might also get straight through to the developers if you attempt to file it as a bug report.

      I'm sure you guys offer great customer service or whatever, but I'm one of those people that doesn't want to waste hours of my life talking to you over a problem that *may* or may not be resolved to retain me as a customer for a delivery system that I have grown to absolutely despise.


      Keep in mind, you despise the delivery system because of this issue.

      Now, contact them and report the bug. Really, you do sound like a crank and a zealot because you refuse to do that. Have you actually called their customer service, or filled out a form? If not, everything you believe about their service is baseless.

      Steam is worse, because you can't even dump off your mistaken purchase on the used game stores and get *something* back.

      Steam is better, because if you decide not to finish a game, you haven't necessarily paid for the whole game. Games can be distributed in episodes.
      --
      Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
    9. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Senjutsu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, I haven't. It didn't even occur to me as something that would be a likely solution.... what would Valve do, give me a *special* patch for special customers?

      Or maybe they'd learn about and fix the bug that's biting you in the ass? You're the architect of your own misery, buddy; help is there for the asking, but you're too busy nailing yourself to a cross to consider that Valve maybe isn't out to fuck you over.

    10. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by republican+gourd · · Score: 1

      Now, contact them and report the bug. Really, you do sound like a crank and a zealot because you refuse to do that. Have you actually called their customer service, or filled out a form? If not, everything you believe about their service is baseless.

      It takes quite a bit of time and effort to properly document and prepare a *useful* bug report, even had I known at the time where to submit it or that they would be amicable to reading it. Its not like I had any packaging with the customer service number on it, at any rate.

      I don't like dealing with customer service. I had a bad experience with Steam and Halflife 2. The one does not make the other meaningless. I have worked with the public before, one of the types of customers you get are the ones that won't bother trying to fix a mistake, they will just take their business elsewhere in the future. I guess I'm one of those people, but I don't think that that makes me a crank. Maybe cranky.

      Keep in mind, you despise the delivery system because of this issue.

      Not true. I have other issues with the delivery system as well.
      - It was slow for me, much slower than it would have been to install from a CD/DVD, even with preloading.
      - I could never manage to get the 'friends' setting or whatever it was called to work well enough to join a friend in the same multiplayer game without a tedious amount of manually finding the IP address of the servers and trying to connect by hand. The server lists were like a badly fractured IRC network. (again, this might be fixed now, I stopped trying a long time ago) - Especially if you haven't played in awhile, there can be long, unskippable, "updating" periods when starting the game. I can understand this for multiplayer consistency, but I'm not interested in multiplayer. I just want to pick up and play every now and then, but this is impossible the way HL2/Steam are set up. Last time I ran into this it happened in series... first an update of the steam service itself for 20 minutes or so, and then another half hour of HL2. By the time it was done, I didn't feel like playing anymore anyway.
      - This is at least partially impression and conjecture, but the Steam app seems to want to run all the time. Always there, always ready for you to click on it and *buy* something from the marketplace. I removed it from startup and all the rest, but on a personal level I do resent being 'sold' at. Steam felt pushy. Again, personal opinion and impressions there.
      - Bandwidth hungry apps are fine when you are the only computer on your connection. They are noticably less cool when you have more than one person sharing a cable modem, for instance.

    11. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by republican+gourd · · Score: 1

      I don't believe they are out to screw me, I just believe that their centrally controlled delivery system is a poor value. In the future, I will be avoiding such systems as much as possible. I'm bothering to post this here because I hope that people who design and implement these systems might pick up on the negative feedback and do things differently next time.

      As for the bug report: I don't feel that its worth my time. I'm not 'nailing myself to a cross' or anything, I just don't feel like playing HL2 anymore. The fact that Steam conveniently self-destructed my copy was just the last straw.

      Its not my fault that I got first post :)

    12. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by PhrostyMcByte · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Steam is a good *optional* idea. Easy, automatic upgrades are nice. Being able to download the game to any vacation PC so long as I have my login is great!

      What sucks is knowing the game probably won't run in 10 or 15 years time when I want to trigger some nostalgia, due to Steam going under or simply losing interest in supporting older games and not offering the download anymore.

    13. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by ruckc · · Score: 1

      I belive he was saying that he wasn't connected at the time... he wanted to play his game.

      This would be a big deal for laptop junkies who may save the gaming for long flights and may be havn't started steam in a while.

    14. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From parent: "Especially if you haven't played in awhile, there can be long, unskippable, "updating" periods when starting the game. I can understand this for multiplayer consistency, but I'm not interested in multiplayer. I just want to pick up and play every now and then, but this is impossible the way HL2/Steam are set up. Last time I ran into this it happened in series... first an update of the steam service itself for 20 minutes or so, and then another half hour of HL2. By the time it was done, I didn't feel like playing anymore anyway."

      Your other complaints seem valid but this isn't. There's an offline mode you can run Steam in to make it not go on the internet at all and let you play single player whenever you want. Also if it takes you 50 minutes to *update* Steam+HL2, I think your internet connection is at fault, not Steam. Sometimes Steam updates can be a pain in the ass (on the day of release of a big patch it can be slow sometimes), but on the whole they download quickly. Anyway, Steam really isn't so bad. Bugs happen, and I would be surprised if a simple google search or a search on their forums didn't fix the problem.

    15. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by republican+gourd · · Score: 1

      Not entirely true. If you haven't preemptively disabled online mode *before* it starts updating one of your games, you're out of luck. From a game in the 'Update Paused" state:

      ---
      Game unavailable

      "This game is not ready to be played in offline mode."
      ---

      Steam doesn't give you any warning that its about to do an update, it just goes ahead and does it when you start. I don't ever remember having a chance to change my mind and retreat to offline mode.

    16. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by abandonment · · Score: 1

      >> Last time I ran into this it happened in series... first an update of the steam service
      >> itself for 20 minutes or so, and then another half hour of HL2. By the time it was done,
      >> I didn't feel like playing anymore anyway.

      i completely agree with this.

      i have so little time to play games, when i DO have the chance, i will go for the ones that are an easy, quick pickup & play version, instead of launching steam, waiting for it to decide that it's ready to let me play, etc.

      steam as a whole is a great idea - the implementation is terrible.

      --
      Gekido's Lair
    17. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      - It was slow for me, much slower than it would have been to install from a CD/DVD, even with preloading.

      Remember, never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of backup tapes (DVDs in this day and age) driving down the highway.

      Also beware of the latency of purchasing a DVD at the store.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latency_vs_Bandwidth

      But I suppose different strokes for different folks. http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=186604&c id=15398476

      Obviously for Sparr0 the issue of bandwidth of online delivery versus the bandwidth of a DVD wasn't an issue, platform availability and obviously cost seem to be his primary concerns as he chose to simply steal it, but still an endorsement for online delivery.

    18. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      - This is at least partially impression and conjecture, but the Steam app seems to want to run all the time. Always there, always ready for you to click on it and *buy* something from the marketplace. I removed it from startup and all the rest, but on a personal level I do resent being 'sold' at. Steam felt pushy. Again, personal opinion and impressions there.

      It's a whole lotta conjecture.

      Steam Settings -> Messages:

      Notify me (with Steam instant messages) about additions or changes to:

      [X] My Games
      [X] Upcoming and new releases

      Both are selected by default but turn them off if you prefer.

      Steam Settings -> Interface:

      [X] Run Steam when Windows starts

      Again, checked by default but uncheckable if you like.

      You can argue that these shouldn't be the default settings and fair enough but these choices are not hidden at all, there's no subterfuge. Valve is a business and Steam is a way to reach consumers with news of new stuff. It seems reasonable that someone who bought a game through Steam might be interested in other games so there's a mechanism to inform subscribers about new stuff but it's in no way mandatory. Any Steam subscriber is completely free to shut that stuff down. It's the same as MSN Messenger or Yahoo Messenger bringing up those annoying 'MSN Today' pages, etc... By default they're on but you can turn them off. At least the Valve news is specific to new gaming titles. I just launched MSN with MSN Today turned on and it's telling me "Video: Britney almost drops her baby" and "The Reluctant Dater: He's single & likes it that was: Is that OK?"... I'm not sure about that last one, but I am sure that I don't care.

    19. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      This includes situations where the game simply sucks. Steam is worse, because you can't even dump off your mistaken purchase on the used game stores and get *something* back.

      Have you even read the Steam Subscriber Agreement? Accessible via Help -> Steam Subscriber Agreement or here: http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=subscri ber_agreement

      C. Acceptance/Rejection/Returns The terms of this Section 3.C do not apply to European Union consumers. You will have a period of thirty (30) days after the date of receipt of any Merchandise to examine the Merchandise to confirm that it conforms to this Agreement and the offer for such Merchandise presented to you at Steam. If the Merchandise does not conform to this Agreement and the offer for such Merchandise presented to you via Steam, you may reject the Merchandise by returning it to Valve (at your expense) along with a copy of the receipt or other proof of purchase. Additional policies and instructions for returning defective merchandise to Valve can be found at http://storehelp.valvesoftware.com./ After Valve has received your valid return, Valve will, within a reasonable time and in Valve's sole discretion: repair the Merchandise, replace the Merchandise with an equivalent item, credit to the credit card used to pay for the product an amount equal to the value of the Merchandise (as determined by Valve in its reasonable discretion), or provide another remedy that Valve determines in good faith is appropriate in the circumstances. All claims whether based on contract, negligence, strict liability or otherwise are waived unless made in writing and received by Valve within thirty (30) days after your receipt of Merchandise.

      If you thought a game you bought via Steam sucks did you try to return it to Valve? Valve's not an evil company, if you really feel legitimately ripped off by a Valve product that was completely misrepresented and you bought it because of misleading information from Valve then you should completely return it. Unlike CDs purchased in stores, Steam does allow a license code to be deactivated and therefore makes software returns possible. Did that ever cross your mind? Of course, if you buy it, play it and then just think, meh, it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be and try to obtain a refund then well...

    20. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by jchenx · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Customer support always assumes that the customer doesn't know what you're doing. I'd rather not spend an hour or more having somebody walk me through a re-install just to see the problem recur. (I had already done this). Further, I had already verified that it was a HL2 update issue (rather than a change of a machine) because it literally changed from working -> broken within a single Steam update. I had played some time before, shut it off, turned it back on, watched Steam update itself, then watched it not work anymore. All my other intensive games, (Doom3, FarCry)... working perfectly.

      The game was simply fucked, which turned me off as a customer permanently. I'm sure you guys offer great customer service or whatever, but I'm one of those people that doesn't want to waste hours of my life talking to you over a problem that *may* or may not be resolved to retain me as a customer for a delivery system that I have grown to absolutely despise.
      As someone who works in QA for a living, and whose customers are end-users just like you, I wanted to give my two cents regarding customer service. (This applies to pretty much ALL software, not just Steam)

      You are correct that customer service does NOT make up for a crappy experience. If software had no bugs, there'd be no need for customer service. As a QA engineer, it is my job to ensure that our product is bug free as much as possible.

      The problem is that it is nigh impossible to create bug free code in this day and age, with the complexity of programs nowadays, and also how open the PC platform is. Then you also have to consider things like ship dates and costs. From the QA perspective, we're supposed to find the bugs and only allow release when the product meets our quality bar. Unfortunately, that bar can never be at the "perfect" rate, because that would mean nothing ever ships. (For example, we'd spend years alone testing every combination of hardware, drivers, network configuration, etc.)

      So at some point, we have to ship. After that point, then we have to rely on things like customer service to get a gauge of what we did right, and what we did wrong (bugs that slipped, etc.). There are always new things that popped up that no one had any idea it would be an issue, most often due to external dependencies.

      One example I'll give ... we got a user report complaining that our website was not working at all for him. There was lots of cursing, how we must have been incompetent, etc. Although we could have just ignored him for rudeness, we took the time to investigate. It turns out the issue was due to a piece of malware that had infected his machine. His issue actually had nothing to do with our site code, and there's nothing we could do about it, other than coding some bizarre one-off that detected this peculiar piece of malware and handled it with an appropriate error message. But that's obviously easier to do after the fact, and arguably not something that's a priority. (If you compare a feature that would affect a handful of users, versus working on a new feature that would affect a much larger number ... what would you choose?)

      I guess what I'm trying to say is to cut customer support some slack. Any decent QA department WANTS to fix your problems, and we're not out to just "screw you over" with a bad product. Chances are that your issue is very specific to your configuration, for whatever reason. Yes, your experience does suck, and I completely understand that for a game, you DON'T want to spend hours on the phone walking through your support issue. But doing so may fix your problem, and make the product better overall.
      --
      -- jchenx
    21. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by __aamkky7574 · · Score: 3, Funny
      It takes quite a bit of time and effort to properly document and prepare a *useful* bug report
      Probably a lot less time than it takes to write several lengthy bitches to Slashdot about the problem.


      P.

    22. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Unc-70 · · Score: 1

      To back up the Valve employee, I've had one experience with Valve customer support (game crash for original half-life) and it was excellent. The support was email based and reasonably rapid despite the time difference. The staff were friendly and dedicated to sorting out the problem, which they did. Personally, I can't wait until June 1st, I'm pre-loaded and ready to go!

      --
      Ye have made your way from the worm to man, and much within you is still worm.
    23. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by oisteink · · Score: 1

      Interesting? You have a totally different scenario that the poster youre refering to...

    24. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Not to mention it requires administrative priveldges for stream to run. Not good since my laptop is locked down

      --
      http://saveie6.com/
    25. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by delus10n0 · · Score: 1

      Contact Steam support. Ask about a refund. Otherwise, I dunno what to tell ya. Most people aren't going to experience the problems you're having. Steam/HL2 works great on three of my PCs here, and two are custom built.

      Also, if your machine is "crashing", it's most likely due to:

      1) Drivers (kernel mode)
      2) Lame power supply
      3) (very unlikely, but hey) The "bad capacitors" problem

      None of which are Steam's fault.

      --
      Not All Who Wander Are Lost
    26. Re:Unfortunately, I won't be playing this... by SpecBear · · Score: 1

      To clarify:

      I didn't have a functional internet connection at the time. When tried to start HL2, Steam tried to run an update and failed to make a connection. It hadn't updated in a while, and decided that it wasn't going to run the game until it had.

      I was locked out of the single-player game because Steam couldn't phone home. I find this to be unacceptable. I won't be purchasing any more games that use Steam until this changes.

  2. Hooray! by jgbishop · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While I'm not certain that the "episodic content" model will work in the long run, I'm very excited about these new chapters in the Half-Life universe. Half-Life 2 was an excellent game and I'm looking forward to playing through Episode One (an odd name if ever there were one). Hopefully the content in this expansion will match HL2's quality.

    --
    Go, and never darken my towels again! -- Rufus
    1. Re:Hooray! by SpectreHiro · · Score: 3, Funny

      ...and I'm looking forward to playing through Episode One (an odd name if ever there were one).

      It could be worse. They could've called it something really ridiculous, like The Phantom Menace.

      --
      You can't win, Darth. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
    2. Re:Hooray! by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

      While I'm not certain that the "episodic content" model will work in the long run,

      Tell that to EA and the Sims franchise.
      Its like a drug, my missus finds out theres a new pack out and its another hole in the credit card.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
  3. uh... wait.. by Cryptnotic · · Score: 0

    Didn't I already play episode 1? Does that mean that HL2 was "Episode 0"?

    --
    My other first post is car post.
    1. Re: uh... wait.. by legallyillegal · · Score: 1
      that would mean that Half-Life would be -1... hmm

      seriously, screw this expansion shit... just gimme Half-Life 3 and make sure it doesn't "require an internet connection"

      --
      ?giS
    2. Re: uh... wait.. by Niwat90 · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, no! Half-life 2: A New Hope was Episode 4.

    3. Re: uh... wait.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It means you get the pleasure of paying twice.

    4. Re: uh... wait.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      That was Episode IV. In Episode One, we follow the G-Man as a ten-year-old.

    5. Re: uh... wait.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and make sure it doesn't "require an internet connection"

      Why? Dont you have an internet connection yet? They're pretty easy to get these days!

    6. Re: uh... wait.. by legallyillegal · · Score: 1

      im typing this via binary morse code

      --
      ?giS
  4. two new multiplayer modes? by Jett · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What the hell are they?! I searched everywhere for the answer and can't find it - everywhere has nothing but hype about the HL2 singleplayer plot being advanced, how exciting!
    HL2DM is suprisingly fun and well balanced so I might be willing to blow the $20, be nice to know what the hell multiplayer content is being added first though... The marketing on this is really crappy, it's all based on "find out what happens next in HL2" - I just want a simple feature list!

    1. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by PatrickThomson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      One of them is the indescribably wank* HLDM:Source, the other I'm guessing is a gametype I already have from one of my packs or the back catalog. episode 1 can be standalone, so it'd make sense to have HL2DM in there as well but that's speculation on my part.

      *
      remember how big a letdown HL:Source was? with exactly the same low-poly everything, and only new shiny water and breaking glass as the improvements? HLDM:Source is worse.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
    2. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by Jett · · Score: 1

      uh, that would absolutely suck - if it is just HLDM rehashed in the source engine plus HL2DM which isn't new and is still a little buggy then that is stupid and totally disengenous of them to claim "two new multiplayer modes". I was hoping for something actually NEW and maybe even innovative. I really enjoy HL2DM, it is sad that Valve seems to be completely ignoring multiplayer these days - they seem to just assume that Counterstrike is the only multiplayer game in the world, if they would put some effort into projects like HL2DM they would have a lot more people playing their games...

    3. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by PatrickThomson · · Score: 1

      Hey, nothing wrong with HL2DM! I can tell you have a chipshoulder about a particular bug, or peculiarity which people have learned to exploit to whup you. Do go on. (I'm partially joshing with you, but at the same time I'm genuinely interested if you've found something glaring)*

      * If it's the gravygun thing, I've tried reporting it.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
    4. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by Jett · · Score: 1

      My biggest problem is the physics going out - everything drops thru the floor and people warp around like they are dropping packets. The only fix is to restart the server. It doesn't happen too often but when it does it sucks a lot because your only hope is to have an admin fix it. There are a lot of others but that is the big one for me. It's been a known issue for a LONG time too.

    5. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by PatrickThomson · · Score: 1

      Never been somewhere with that problem before. Is this with one particular map being on for hours or does it happen on rotation?

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
    6. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by Jett · · Score: 1

      In my experience it happens usually within about 15 to 20 minutes into a map, I've only seen it happen when a server is pretty full (18+ people) and it seems to happen more often on certain maps and/or when there are a lot of things flying around (orbs in particular). There is a post in the HL2DM forum on the Steam website that has a list of all known HL2DM bugs, this is one of them and is the most annoying (for me anyways).

    7. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by Guspaz · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Err, no, I don't remember HL: Source being a letdown. It was exactly what I expected; HL1 in the Source engine. The huge improvement in lighting quality was quite nice when replaying HL1.

      I should point you towards Black Mesa: Source, which seems to be what you want; a professional quality full remake of HL1 in the HL2 engine.

    8. Re:two new multiplayer modes? by PatrickThomson · · Score: 1

      It's also fan-made and not done yet. It's what everyone was expecting valve to do in the first place.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
  5. Oh dear by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1
    Does that make Half-Life 2 Episode 1, The combine menace?

    Yikes.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  6. Only 5 hours? by Ant+P. · · Score: 1, Interesting

    For the price of two of these, I could've bought new and got much more than 10 hours of play from it.

  7. Money Grab by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 4, Insightful
    And thus begins the great money grab. What started as "Expansion Packs" became "Blister Packs" and finally we're at "Episodes". Less and less content for more and more money. Then they start skimming content from the initial release of the game to sell to you later at a ridiculous price.

    Yes, I realize I can vote with my dollars, and I fully intend to. However I want to point out to everybody here that if you purchase this, you are essentially telling Valve "Yes, I buy into this episodic spiel and I love being bent over and taking it repeatedly in the ass as many times as you can release a new episode."

    Enjoy.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Money Grab by WankersRevenge · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The problem I have with the release of these episodes is that the source material was gimped. If Half Life 2 was a compelling story on its own, I wouldn't mind spending money to continue it. Instead, we have this gimped out-of-the-box story, that requires additional content to even make sense of it.

    2. Re:Money Grab by kleptonin · · Score: 1

      I recently bought SiN Episodes: Emergence and I enjoyed it very much, thanks. I also suffered no anal trauma.

    3. Re:Money Grab by Doytch · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How can you possibly say that a 6+ hour single player mode and more multiplayer options are a money grab? Hate to break it to ya, but this is an expansion, and just because they're calling it an episode doesn't change that.

      Anyone care to name five recent expansion packs that feature more content than this?

    4. Re:Money Grab by MuNansen · · Score: 1

      Hey if you have more fun with sanctimonious flaming of a company trying to break publishers' stranglehold on gaming than you do the Citizen Kane of gaming, your loss, and Valve really won't miss you.

    5. Re:Money Grab by LoofWaffle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm actually pretty disappointed with the new SiN. I know that I'm not paying the 40-50 bucks for a full blown retail game, but I expected more than what I would get from a demo disc. What makes this more disappointing is that Ritual leaned on the game engine AND delivery model that Valve developed, thereby significantly reducing the costs of development and testing. Unless they a) reduce the cost or b) make the episodes longer, they won't be getting any more from me. I'll also avoid the HL2 episode until I hear more from the those who bought/played it.

      --
      You know, Custer had a plan.
    6. Re:Money Grab by Snowmit · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You got +4 Insightful for saying "I didn't like or understand the story in HL2"?

      Lots of people enjoyed the story + gameplay and will happily pay to see it continued. You didn't and so won't pay. That's certainly your perogative.

      Did you think that the story in HL 1 was gimped because the man in black was never properly explained? Did you think it was a rip off when they released two expansion packs and then (gasp!) a sequel? Did you refuse to see Lord of the Rings because they couldn't fit the whole story into a single movie? I'm going to assum that you don't like Lost either. I mean, they gimped the story in that show so hard that it's been two seasons and we STILL don't know what the fuck is going on.

      --
      I have a lot of opinions about Cyborgs and Architects
    7. Re:Money Grab by WankersRevenge · · Score: 0

      Absolutely wrong, grasshopper ... on all counts ... all your examples, Half Life, Lord of the Rings, and Lost (from what I've been told) all have compelling stories. At the end of Fellowship, as an audience member, I knew exactly what was at stake in the story. I knew the backstory of the ring, the dangers of it being caught, and the mission of the protagonist. The story wasn't nearly complete, but it didn't matter because I was involved.

      Same with Half Life 1 ... I knew the story from the beginning. An experiment gone wrong with a governmental coverup. Sure, I didn't know the purpose of the G-man, but that added to the story rather than detracted from it. The following expansions also contributed to the game, and I was happy to pay for them.

      In Half Life 2 - just appearing on a train didn't really do it for me (call me crazy) nor was the backstory from the time between Half Life 1 and 2 given any adequate attention. Most of the dialouge went along the lines of "Hail Freeman!" As for the plot, I was constantly confused as to my role in the story besides "run away from the bad guys". Most set pieces were homages to other games, or movies. And when the game ended with a cliff hanger, I only laughed. It seemed very fitting. An incoherent story with an incoherent ending.

      My point ... I don't need everything explained, but I at least the semblance story to keep me satisfied. The only place in Half Life 2 that was compelling was the Ravenholm sequence. Why was that? You knew the stakes - get out alive. You knew the antagonists - anything that walked. The story revolved around a crazy mysterious (ahh, the mystery word again) priest, tending his "flock". Brilliant. Most reviews cite this episode as being a high point in the game. Why? It was a tight subplot with good characters and a strong story arc.

      The rest of the game was barely coherent. In my experience, stories that tend to be obscure for the sake of being obscure, usually don't have anything important to say in the first place. My big gripe against half life 2 is that it so obscure that you need the follow-up expansions just to understand it as opposed to adding to it (ie - I didn't need to watch The Two Towers to understand what the hell was going on in the Fellowship of the Ring). Hence, I won't be buying them.

    8. Re:Money Grab by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      6 hours?? That's it? Wow, almost every expansion pack released beats that then.

      Not sure what your definition of "recent" is (nor should time really matter), but here's a few from the past few years:

      Gothic 2: Night of the Raven (30+ hours!)
      Every NeverWinter Nights expansion (that's at least 5 right there)
      Swat 4: Stetchkov Syndicate
      TrackMania Sunrise Extreme (that's a FREE expansion)
      Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (better than the original Doom 3)
      Morrowind: Tribunal and Bloodmoon
      Call of Duty: United Offensive
      Painkiller: Battle out of Hell
      Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots
      Hearts of Iron 2: Doomsday

      There's a lot of GOOD expansion packs out there. There's no reason to settle for half-assed, over-priced, raw meat like this "Episode" release.

    9. Re:Money Grab by PatrickThomson · · Score: 1

      It's your right not to understand plot that isn't simplified. Did you ever try, say, reading the newspapers pinned to Vance's noticeboard? Kleiners? Thought not. Go read the wiki if you can't be bothered working out the plot yourself.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
    10. Re:Money Grab by zaguar · · Score: 1

      Starcraft: Brood War - over 15 hours, the best ever game released. Still played today.

      --
      "Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
    11. Re:Money Grab by slank · · Score: 1

      This would be relevant if Episode 1 was an expansion, but it's more like a sequel. From the Steam store:

      Episode One is the first in a series of games that reveal the aftermath of Half-Life 2 and launch a journey beyond City 17. Also features two multiplayer games. Half-Life 2 not required.
    12. Re:Money Grab by saphint · · Score: 1

      if you would like to know more of the back story of halflife 2, it has been pieced together from ingame newspapers and from a few halflife 2 books
      Story of Halflife 2

    13. Re:Money Grab by dyslexicbunny · · Score: 1

      That was interesting or insightful. Though I'm currently playing Morrowind, I'm picking up NWN: Diamond (has all three expansions) and Gothic 2 soon.

      Honestly, 6 hours (even with multiplayer) really isn't all that much. I don't have the time to invest to make multiplayer worthwhile. This includes memorizing levels and item locations, spawn points, etc. Should have been closer to 10.

    14. Re:Money Grab by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Funny that people call Ravenholm the high point of HL2. Too little ammo and too many melee enemies, it was like the developers went "We went to great lengths to make that gravity gun so use it already!". I don't like that gun (partially because it just doesn't feel powerful, it looks clunky to use like you're throwing nerf-foam shapes at the enemies) so I don't like being forced to use it, especially against what I hate most in first person shooters (melee enemies). The scenes before that were much better. At least you got to blast enemies that use the same weapons as you.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    15. Re:Money Grab by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Standalone expansion, then. Hardly a new concept. Homeworld: Cataclysm, Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files, Serious Sam: Second Encounter, Earth 2150: The Moon Project and Perimeter: Emperor's Testament are some I can remember off the top of my head.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    16. Re:Money Grab by zoomzit · · Score: 1
      However I want to point out to everyone here that if you purchase thes, you are essentially telling Valve "Yes, I buy into this episodic spiel and I love being bent over and taking it repeatedly in the ass as many times as you can release a new episode."

      Where do I send my money again?

      Personally, I don't buy many games, so when I buy one, I want it to be very very good. I am happy paying even twice as much for HL2 as compared to the mounds and mounds of inexpensive crap that comes from other publishers these days... I'm happy to give my money to pay for excellent product.

    17. Re:Money Grab by PyroMosh · · Score: 1

      Here's the thing, at least the way I see it. Maybe you'll agree, maybe not.

      Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are not FPSes. Well, they are first person games, and they do involve shooting, but primarily I think of them as story driven games which happen to be in first person for greater immersion.

      If you're looking for a "pure" shooter, Doom or Far Cry are probably better suited. Ravenholm stands out as a high point because it shows what Half-Life does best. It immersed you in a creepy, very atmospheric world. It scared you (or at least me). Father Gregori popping up to save your ass and making some creepy narratoresque quip from some ledge or roof well beyond reach.

      Yes, there are several areas of Half-Life 2 that just scream "THIS IS A PHYSICS BASED GAME HERE IS A CLEVER PUZZLE THAT YOU NEED TO USE OUR PHYSICS TO SOLVE SO YOU DON'T FORGET THAT". And I'll agree that Ravenholm has a bit of that. But I think that's a minor mark against an otherwise near perfect game. Lots of people seem to agree.

      --
      Touch everywhere, even when inappropriate.
  8. That's american business for you by sterno · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There seems to be very little appreciation anymore for the notion of having a stable business. You must always be growing and raking in more and more money. There's little room for a company to just keep delivering what they've been delivering consistently.

    So if you sell a million copies of a game this year you have to sell two next year. Then four, then eight, then you have to start having upgrades and expansions that have lower productions costs but cost nearly as much to improve your margins and increase your growth.

    --
    This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
    1. Re:That's american business for you by nohup · · Score: 1

      There seems to be very little appreciation anymore for the notion of having a stable business.

      Very little appreciation from who? Consumers? When consumers have lots of choices in a marketplace, it creates a competitive business environment that requires business to constantly change or risk losing against the competition. For example, if Microsoft doesn't venture oustide of their "stable" desktop software market, they risk their software becoming irrelevant through the new generation of web services.

      There is little appreciation for "stable" companies because we as consumers are always looking for the company that can deliver the better, cheaper, or faster product. Does anyone care that American manufacturing jobs are lost when they buy cheap, foreign-made Walmart wares? Do we care enough to buy the more expensive American products instead? It's a simple law of economics: business is like a competitive sport--companies that aren't always looking to change won't ultimately survive.

    2. Re:That's american business for you by AaronLawrence · · Score: 1

      Yes, this is how the sharemarket leads to the destruction of companies. Grow and grow until you can only do it by hurting your customers, then they all leave and the company implodes. The smart investors see it coming and take off with vast profits, while the unlucky ones see their money dissappear.

      --
      For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert. - Arthur C. Clarke
  9. Oooo by Konster · · Score: 2, Insightful

    4-6 hours of gameplay? Great! It rivals HL2 for content! I hope this thing sells for $8.99. or perhaps $9.99 if they include a storyline that was omitted from HL2. HL2 was shockingly short and utterly devoid of a storyline, and attempting to milk me for "expansion packs" for what should have been included in the original release is offensive.

    1. Re:Oooo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is the XboxLive way, the Microsoft way, the TRUE WAY, grasshopper.

    2. Re:Oooo by dyslexicbunny · · Score: 1

      I hope this thing sells for $8.99. or perhaps $9.99

      Also known as $17. http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product_id=6464 46

    3. Re:Oooo by zoomzit · · Score: 1

      There's this really interesting feature that they have built into mondern video games that actually allows you to actually adjust the difficulty of the games. Surprisingly, if you make the game more difficult, the game also tends to take more time.

  10. Steam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Since I can read /. on my internet connection, but I cannot play any steam games with it, I have no intention of investing in any more of their products.
    This culture of distrusting end users is absurd, and it only hurts the legitimate users. The pirates always find their way around security.
    Now the rumor is that Sony is maneuvering to license PS3 games and not actually sell you the game disc. (http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/ps3/game/news/articl e.jsp?articleId=20060524153157765035&sectionId=100 6)
    I've been a bit off topic, but I don't enjoy playing games how they want and where they want. I'll find a nice open source game... like chess or sudoku.

    1. Re:Steam by zeeroj · · Score: 0

      Gamesradar made up that rumor and Sony later refuted such claims. It's basically a rehash of a previous rumor, which Sony also denied at the time. FUD

  11. Stopping Piracy? by Sparr0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Steam does no such thing. I downloaded HL2 from a torrent, installed it under Cedega in Linux, played the single player story, installed a couple of mods, decided I would rather just wait for UT2007 or Savage 2, deleted it.

    Linux Gaming ++
    Warez as Demo ++
    Steam --

  12. Your type of problem is not limited to Steam by snuf23 · · Score: 1

    The exact same thing can (and does) happen with patches to normal store bought games with update patches. My friend had it happen on his system with a patch to Star Wars Battlefront. After the patch he suffered crashes and server disconnects after playing for 5-10 minutes. Consistently. He tried all the support recommended stuff (upgrade video, audio drivers etc.) which didn't improve things. The only "remedy" LucasArts would give him was another copy of the game - which would be fine if there was something wrong with the CDs, but there wasn't. Reinstalling just caused the same problems to occur. Most likely it was some bug in the game that affected his particular brand network or video card. A few months later they announced Battlefront 2 - and no more patches were ever released for Battlefront 1.
    At least my friend did take the time to contact support. Because now he can concretely say their service was bullshit and he'll never buy another game from them. For all you know your problem is a known issue at Valve and they have a quick workaround. Maybe they don't, but how would you know?
    And by the way - at least in the US you can't sell your used PC games back to a store like you can with consoles. You can get away with it by selling on ebay or other similar sites, but that seems an awful lot of effort for the $10 you might get.

    --
    Sometimes my arms bend back.
  13. Nah by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    It's probably only worth 50-60 silver.

    --
    -Styopa
  14. "Used" pricepoint by phorm · · Score: 1

    I haven't really checked (and I'm on dialup for the next few days, so doing so would take forever), but what's the current pricepoint on regular HL2 in boxed vs steam format. Has it gone down substantially?

    I'm expecting the fanboys to do the initial payout, and while I'm a big HL2 fan I'm not such a diehard that I can't wait awhile especially since I'm rather busy at the moment for it or other games (and I've other games which I need to finish when I find time). $20 for 5h is somewhat iffy and subjective. Who is it 5h for, the pro, the average, or the ubernoob? What does it add in terms of storyline and modification? I'll let somebody else take the bite and probably go for it later

    As for those that argue that the existing HL2 doesn't have a 'script', it has a lot in comparison to most others out there in the FPS genre.

    Let's rehash:
    - Some things you don't know. Such as where you came from, what's with the 'time freeze', and who the 'g-man' is. G-man is particularly interesting - What exactly are the combine? There are arguements around that the combine as humans that have been "modified" or are aliens, etc. Some things may be more explained in HL1 Plot includes: - Landing on a enemy-held city. Running amuck of enforcement and getting to the local resistance. Meeting a crazy doc, some aliens which attach to your head and zombify you (think aliens mixed with some undead movie)... meet a cute girl and a robotic dog - Getting a cool-ass "gravity" gun, downing some imperial-walker style drones, finding a city with humans that seem to be partly roboticized. - Travelling through a city that with creepy-ass alien-head-zombies. C'mon this was the best part... and at night with the lights out and surround turned on even a bit freaky. Plus don't forget the gravity gun+saw blades, or flame traps, and that weird preacher - Funky aliens from a race you helped out in HL1 - A prison breakout, betrayal, capture, an a big floating city - A warp portal that you disrupt... and an explosion, and our mysterious G-man again

    Of course, there is some more than that, but really I've seen full movies with less plotline than the above (and even good ones, too). Half Life + HL2 would make for decent cinema if done right, so depending on how they cash-cow it the plotline in the episodes could be work it.

  15. Nothing new.. by cluke · · Score: 3, Funny

    Half-Life 2 was episodic as well. You would play through one 'short' episode, and then have to wait a month or so until the next one was released. Oh no, wait, that was the loading screen.

  16. I have by Kamineko · · Score: 1

    I have exactly £1.37 in my pocket. That's how much I'm willing to pay per episode. Period.

  17. HalfLife is an all time classic by ravee · · Score: 1

    What I like most about half life game is that it is not just blind shooting of monsters though that is also involved. But you are forced to think while playing the game. It is just like solving a series of puzzling problems inside the game to get to the finishing line. And combined with the superior graphics engine, this is one game which rivals even Quake in game play and enjoyment.

    --
    Linux Help
    for all things on Linux
  18. Dear Valve- Why must I be your bitch? by Cybrex · · Score: 1

    I apologize for the off-topic nature of this comment, but on the off chance that these words may reach someone within Valve I have to say something.

    I love the Half-Life franchise. The gameplay, graphics, and above all STORY are extremely compelling to me. I've had dreams about headcrabs, and have looked into building an HEV costume for science fiction conventions. My co-workers and I used to stay late at work and have HL deathmatch tournaments after hours, and I kept a crowbar hanging on my cube wall.

    I hated Steam when it first came out, and still have mixed feelings about it, though I have appreciated the convenience of being able to install any of my Valve games on remote computers (cough, cough,*work*, cough), and I've been counting the days until the June 1st Ep 1 release.

    Yes, I am Valve's bitch. I am a Half-Life fanatic.

    The only thing I'm more fanatical about is my Mac. See my problem?

    With the exception of Valve games, I've purged my outside-of-work life of anything having to do with Windows, and am much happier as a result. My PC now exists for one reason only, and that's Valve. Sure, I play other games, but every other game I like is available on my platform of choice.

    I'd like to "vote with my dollars". I really would. But I'd be kidding myself if I said that I'd be willing to give up my HL addiction. It's absurd that I keep a PC set up and updated just to play Valve games, but that's what it has come down to.

    Please. Have pity on the pathetic junkie you have created. Port your games to OS X.
    [/grovel]

    --
    Boundless Expansion, Self-Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, Spontaneous Order- BEST DO IT SO!
    1. Re:Dear Valve- Why must I be your bitch? by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      Ordinarily "me too" posts are dumb, but in this case I feel compelled: Valve, please port Half-Life (1 and 2) not just to Mac OS, but to standardized technologies like OpenGL and SDL so that you can make them work in Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and other OSs with just a recompile.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  19. keep milkin it.. by somebraincells · · Score: 0

    i think its to microsoft centric
    they cant even *at least* make a steam client for mac
    let alone linux

    so if its too good for any community other than microsoft i dump it

    with cedega i beat hl2 got really pissed off at the same ending as the first game
    then deleted it

    iv pretty much lost faith in pc games
    i only play opensource games when it comes to pc
    but even then sometimes it will usualy be multiplayer based
    and when there is multiplayer there is bound to be one of those "1337 G4m3rs" being egotistical- somewhere,
    and you question why even bother wasting time, even being in the presence of it..
    the quake2 days in 1997-98, it was such a fresh concept
    i think quake2 was the best online shooter to date
    they haven't really innovated much, better graphics is just eye candy and unnecessary lag, compensated with better netcode

    for me, these days i am content with my psx/ps2 and hundreds of story rich games currently playing the final fantasy series and silent hill series
    also kind of interested in this whole nintendo revolution bit, but as always wait a year or two, for the price to dim down/game library to develop

  20. Ask the Better Business Bureau by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Take a looksie at http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=270307 04 my friend.

  21. Dear Astroturfer: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Steam still sucks, now fuck off, you shill.

  22. PepsiBlue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean only one experience other than when they (or your buddy the "anon employee") asked you to shill on slashdot? Thanks for playing.

    1. Re:PepsiBlue by Unc-70 · · Score: 1
      What? Because I had a good experience I must be a stooge?

      Ok, how about a bit of balance then. I also had good support experiences with Focus when installing Dawn of War and with Belkin, who supplied me with a more expensive model wireless router, within a week, for free, when mine didn't work.

      Thank you for playing.

      --
      Ye have made your way from the worm to man, and much within you is still worm.
  23. Pity by KlausBreuer · · Score: 1

    *sigh*

    Would have loved to play this. I liked HL2 when it came out. A lot. Played it completely through. Enjoyed every moment.
    Won't touch it again: STEAM.
    Hell of a lot of trouble initially, and then I need to allow the system to Phone Home at every game start. Even when calling the editor - thus, no maps from me.
    And I will never, ever, buy anything using STEAM again. Not even the add-ons to HL2. No support from me, no money from me, and I've convinced quite a few nearly-customers of the same.

    --
    Free PC version of ChipWits at http://www.breueronline.de/klaus/chipwits/