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Gabe Newell Understands Half-Life Fans, Not Promising Any Sequels

Posted by timothy on from the leave-'em-hanging dept.

jones_supa writes Half-Life 3 is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated games in history. While Valve transitioned from the revolutionary series that brought the company most of its original success, to online games like Team Fortress, Dota and Left 4 Dead, people still desperately want to believe that there is more coming for Half-Life.

In a recent podcast interview he had with Geoff Keighley, Valve CEO Gabe Newell opens up the current situation a bit more: "I'm a fan of TV shows, I'm a fan of writers, I'm a fan of movies, I'm a fan of games and I certainly understand why people are like, you know, hey I remember this awesome experience and I'm starting to get worried that I'm never going to have it again. I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's, it's like, Oh my god, I may never get another great Discworld novel. [...] We aren't going to go all retro because there are too many interesting things that have been learned. The only reason we would go back and do a 'super classic' kind of product is if a whole bunch of people internally at Valve said they wanted to do it, and had a reasonable explanation for why it was."

133 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Barney by Kunedog · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just announce Half Life 2: Episode Three: Blue Shift 2. You once again play as Barney, this time explaining where he was and what he was doing in Episode Two. Everyone would love you for this.

    1. Re:Barney by ledow · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I agree they shouldn't rush HL3 (or Episode 3 or whatever), but that's no reason to leave the Half-Life universe hanging.

      Opposing Force and Blue Shift were basically keeping HL alive until HL2 came along, and they did a pretty good job.

      I'd rather have some spin-off that CAN crash and burn and wait for the big "movie" that we CAN'T have crash and burn get perfected.

      I was quite hopeful for things like Lost Coast etc. to provide some kind of in-betweeny bits but I'm still waiting with my character on the brink of death (at least three times now, I've gone through the whole series of games just to play them again) to find out what happens next.

      Distract me, or tell me. Don't just ignore me.

    2. Re: Barney by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      meh. he doesnt understand. he released the third of a book and quit. its like having a pilot to a series that end mid explosion and doesnt have the lore made so they cant crunch a sequel

    3. Re:Barney by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'd rather see a Half-Life game where you play as Dog and he wants revenge for the death of his creator. Imagine being able to smash through walls, hurl trucks at combine soldiers and beat the shit out of striders and gunships. It could breathe new life into the series by straying away from the run and gun stuff.

      Of course Dog has an integrated gravity gun, so you'll still be able to have fun with that too.

  2. Internal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Is he saying that they internally don't want to do it?
    Or that they don't have a good explanation(story) for it?
    Oh Gabe please be more vague next time.

    1. Re:Internal by Kkloe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      seems they ended it with a cliffhanger and now they dont know how to end it

    2. Re:Internal by cyberchondriac · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I agree.. they left the last episode hanging, that was no ending. It just doesn't do a great game series justice to cut it off like that. If nothng else, release a rendered video short of the Earth falling to the Combine or something (or vice versa), but wrap it up somehow!

      --

      Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
    3. Re:Internal by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Heck, if there's nothing else you want to do with the gameplay, write a novel (or, probably better, get a well-known SF writer to do it) to give it all a proper ending.

    4. Re:Internal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He wasn't vague. He politely said that nostalgia doesn't equal game sales.

    5. Re: Internal by BlueTrin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      One problem with this kind of series is that it was so successful that an average sequel will not cut it.

      Whatever comes out better be excellent or it will trashed by the gaming community. They cannot afford to have the kind of game which would be labelled as 'quite good' if it was made by an indie developer.

      Another issue is caused by the time that went past after the second instalment: times change and what was ok as a FPS may be not appeal to the new gamers or may be considered as archaic when comparing to the new games. Now people expect better AI, destructible environments, the focus of FPS is shifting more towards multiplayer including coop mode. Since changing the game concepts is likely to attract the ire of the hardcore fans, the more you wait the more you are stuck between a rock and a hard place: it becomes increasingly difficult to please fans of the previous game and newer players since the first category wants probably the same game with minor improvements and the latter just want an AAA game which could best titles such as BF or CoD.

      --
      Don't you know it is now both immoral and criminal to think beyond the next quarterly report?
    6. Re:Internal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This. With half life 2 they set it up for multiple equals and the never ended it.
      It's like R.R. Martin just giving up at the second to last book because "he's learned so much" and now he's going to write something else.

    7. Re: Internal by Kkloe · · Score: 1

      I never saw that half-life 2 had so much more to add to game play compared to half-life 1, the only thing i remember was that you had car\boat you could drive around and a weapon that lets you pick up things to throw, like saw blades at zombies
      Really there wasnt much it did do revolutionary in game play when it came out, alot of different more games were released at that time that did have more game play mechanics that half-life 2

      CS:GO dosnt have all the new things, heck it is a very basic game compared to even TF, so new things are neat, but we can see that new things are not all that is needed to have a good game

      I could go to say that maybe valve has a writers block for the story or the developers like mojang got tired that people(players) expected to have it all now now and as great it is in their(playes) mind that the developers got tired of it and said fuck it, I move on

    8. Re:Internal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Stargate Universe

      Happens... Maybe we are suppose to make up our own endings in our head and be happy. IDK why they do this to us :) Oh wait, money... No $$. No effort.

    9. Re: Internal by phantomfive · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You're a perfect illustration of the GPs point. The car/boat and gravity physics of the time were something quite different and exciting. Now of course Halo and everyone does it, but at the time, it was fairly new.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    10. Re: Internal by Masked+Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Now people expect better AI, destructible environments, the focus of FPS is shifting more towards multiplayer including coop mode.

      Am I the only one who actually still prefers single-player campaign to co-op/multiplayer? I mean it's ok sometimes, and there's nothing wrong with it. But when the multiplayer fad came along it always seemed like such a tween sub-culture to me.

      I have to work for a living and I have a wife & kids.... which means I don't hide in my Mommy's basement every night "pwning teh n00bs" nor do I want to associate with those morons in online game play.

    11. Re: Internal by Andy+Smith · · Score: 1

      Same here. I'm only interested in single player games. I get maybe half an hour each day to play games, if I'm lucky, and I want to dip in to a story, soak up the atmosphere etc.

    12. Re:Internal by DarkOx · · Score: 2

      I think he is saying we don't want to just make "another game" that happens to have the same characters and genre with a new subtitle. It has to really be good so we don't spoil the franchise. In order to make sure it is good we need to know why the first one was really such a big hit.

      What was truly unique, what was the special sauce that made all the other ingredients truly integrate? If they can't confidently answer that they won't do it.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    13. Re: Internal by Sowelu · · Score: 1

      I work for a living and have a wife and not a lot of time to hang out with "the bros"...which is why my wife and I play co-op games together with our friends online a few hours a week, it's quick and easy to set up and arguably a lot less like hiding in the basement than playing single player games.

      Single player games are antisocial as hell, and that's really nice sometimes. Competitive multiplayer seems really friendly in person, but a lot less so online, even with other people you know. Cooperative multiplayer seems more social whether it's local or not.

    14. Re:Internal by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      He is saying that internally, they dont want to do a single player campaign. They feel this is the past, HL3 has to bring something new or they are not interested.

      --
      Good-bye
    15. Re: Internal by AntiSol · · Score: 1

      You're not the only one.

    16. Re: Internal by BlueTrin · · Score: 2

      I am like you, I was merely pointing out that the younger generation seems to prefer games this way.

      --
      Don't you know it is now both immoral and criminal to think beyond the next quarterly report?
    17. Re: Internal by kbg · · Score: 1

      The best thing about Half-Life 2 was trying to find out ways/glitches to bring the buggy with you to all the levels that you weren't supposed to have the buggy at all.

    18. Re: Internal by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 2

      No, it wasn't. At the time it had already been done almost a decade prior by Battlefield and Tribes.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    19. Re: Internal by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      And if you really want to push the definition, you could say Yoshi was a vehicle for a fire-shooting Mario back in 1990.

      (And I don't know what Battlefield you're talking about, but Battlefield 1942 was released the same year as Halflife 2, not a decade prior).

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    20. Re: Internal by Kkloe · · Score: 1

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2...

      all big titles that came out 2004, even halo 2 came out before hf2 even if it was by a week, but I played ut2004 and it has vehicles(it came out march)
      bf1942 was released 2002

      the only thing new was the source engine, the game half-life 2 by it self wasnt any marvel of its time, but it had a great story and was well made, but frankly it doesnt and didnt stand up to bring in new things into game play mechanics for its time

    21. Re: Internal by david.given · · Score: 1

      To be completely frank (which I'm not, my name's David), the thing I liked best about the HL series was the story. Which was interesting, and varied, and had some characters I really liked, and did a really, really good job of immersing me in the good but fairly abstract FPS game mechanics.

      You don't get stories in multiplayer. Sometimes they can pretend there's a story, but it never really works.

      I want to know how it ends. Years later, I'm still emotionally invested in Gordon (even though his entire character is inferred from the reactions of people around him!), and Alyx, and Barney, and Dr. Kleiner, and Eli, even D0g, Hedley Lamarr and the G-Man. I want to know how it ends, dammit, especially after the HL2e2 ending (which I am still pleased at having played unspoilered). I want to know more about the Combine and find out what they really want, and see their homeworld (where I'm sure the inevitable climax will be). I want to know who the G-Man really is. I want to know more about the vortigaunts (and hear them talk, which never fails to be hilarious). Basically, I just want to know.

      Having a good game would be a bonus too. But mainly I just want the story.

    22. Re: Internal by mjwx · · Score: 2

      the only thing new was the source engine, the game half-life 2 by it self wasnt any marvel of its time, but it had a great story and was well made, but frankly it doesnt and didnt stand up to bring in new things into game play mechanics for its time

      If we pick on any single aspect of the game, there were far superior games released at the same time. There were games that looked better, games that played better and games with better stories. The problem was that these games only excelled at one thing. Half Life and Half Life 2 bought all of these factors together. It had great graphics, it had great gameplay and it had a great story all at the same time.

      Above this, HL and HL2 both mastered the art of unobtrusive storytelling. The transition between playing and storytelling was so seamless you didn't even notice that you'd stopped playing and started listening, What makes it truly amazing is that they did the whole thing without a single cutscene that restricted the player (excluding the start cut scene), it was masterful direction that kept the player focused on the story when they still had free reign. 10 years on from HL2, few other games can do the same thing and still what sets the Half Life series apart.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    23. Re: Internal by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Now people expect better AI, destructible environments, the focus of FPS is shifting more towards multiplayer including coop mode.

      Am I the only one who actually still prefers single-player campaign to co-op/multiplayer? I mean it's ok sometimes, and there's nothing wrong with it. But when the multiplayer fad came along it always seemed like such a tween sub-culture to me.

      No you're not.

      Like many people I also have a job, life and girlfriend, but I also play games.

      But I do have one objection. Many multiplayer games are mature and tend to attract mature people. Step away from the COD and Halo twitch shooters and get into something a bit more tactical like World of Tanks or War Thunder where someone who thinks is more effective than the fastest person on the button. In fact, step away from the console and get onto PC, the PCGMR tends to attract more mature people and has a lot of communities target older gamers who run their own servers (I.E. like the TOG (The Older Gamers) clan in Australia).

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  3. Need a reason? by bytesaber · · Score: 5, Informative

    How about... oh I don't know... to finish the story?

    1. Re:Need a reason? by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ya there's plenty of reason to do it, it is just clear Valve has lost interest. They seem to suffer from "Oooo shiny!" syndrome pretty bad, which they can afford to do since Steam makes them more money than they know what to do with. They'll play with a project for awhile, get bored, and move on to something else.

      I mean I can respect not making a sequel just for a sequel's sake. If the series has run its course, it sucks to tell the creative people "You have to make another one, no I don't give a shit how much it doesn't fit!" Clearly not the case here, they had more story to tell so the creative types should be happy to continue it.

      Likewise I can understand not making a sequel if it is going to be a commercial failure. No matter how much you'd like to continue something, if the market isn't interested it is a bad idea to do. Again, not the case here, the game could be crap and it would still make money because so many people want it bad (not that it matters because of Steam).

      So there's no reason not to do it here, only that Valve is flighty and isn't interested in it anymore for whatever reason. I mean all the crap about innovation is bullshit. Valve is happy to do things that are just more of the same. See Left 4 Dead 2, DOTA 2, and CS:GO. Left 4 Dead 2 was really just an expansion pack sold as a new game, DOTA 2 is just a MOBA, one of a shit ton of them and one that borrows heavily from others, and CS:GO is, well, Counterstrike. No problem, I'm not hating, but trying to claim that they somehow have to be really innovative with their games is crap. They have been happy to release games lately that are just rehashes of existing stuff.

      I guarantee if the Steam money pit dried up they'd be looking to make HL3 really fast. However they don't have to care right now, they can just play around since they make shit tons of money for doing nothing but being a middleman.

      It also shows lack of commitment to their projects, specifically the Steam Machine. Valve really is half-assing it (as is obvious from the timeline, that there is on QA on the various platforms, and so on) if they really wanted to try and drive it, HL3 would be there and be used. Make that a Steam Machine/SteamOS exclusive people would give a shit. Even if it was just short term, and then it comes to Windows, it would massively push sales having an exclusive title that people really, really want. Existing console makers know this, and always try to have a killer franchise. Were Valve really committed to their new toy, they'd have HL3 ready to go for it.

    2. Re:Need a reason? by Brulath · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It seems more like they're suffering from their flat (in theory) company structure, where there isn't a directed chain of people who say what is going to be done. They appear to be a bit undirected at times because they are. Flat structure is hard; flat structure with over a hundred employees must be ridiculously difficult to orchestrate.

  4. But...But........ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    But Gabe!....It's not the developers who pay the millions for the game...the devs will do whatever you tell'em to do. The Internet has been abuzz with insane amounts of comments from gamers begging for HL3 for years.....how can there not be enough evidence to make it obvious HL3 would be a monumental success...(if on par with previous versions)?

    Maybe working on HL3 is what you need at this time of your life.....you know,...something to get those creative juices flowing ....it'll make you feel young again.....HONEST!

    Just do it....you'll see!!

    1. Re:But...But........ by maorb · · Score: 1

      The Internet has been abuzz with insane amounts of comments from gamers begging for HL3 for years.....how can there not be enough evidence to make it obvious HL3 would be a monumental success...(if on par with previous versions)?

      Because the internet is also full of people who read reviews or wait for recommendations from friends before buying the game. If HL3 is mediocre or sucks then its sales will slow significantly after reviews come out saying. Heck, even if it's good I could see reviews with the following conclusions slowing sales: "Don't get us wrong, it is a good game, but it's not quite a Half-Life game. 8/10". Valve needs to know that they're getting a 9/10 at least from most reviewers.

    2. Re:But...But........ by MachineShedFred · · Score: 2

      Especially considering the complete lack of compelling competition out there. When the games everyone seems to be looking forward to are Modern Warfare Black Ops 19 and Battlefield 7, which are exactly the same as the last 6 versions, how can you not want to put something out that breaks the mold of "multiplayer first, story last" ?

      You aren't EA - we're not worried that you're just milking the IP of the past because there is a completely creatively bankrupt organization paying the bills.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    3. Re:But...But........ by Daniel+Hoffmann · · Score: 1

      If you tell your devs to do something they don't want to do they will do a mediocre job, this is true to any kind of development. Only committed people can produce excellent work.

    4. Re:But...But........ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It couldn't possibly be worse than Mass Effect 3, and I paid real cash money for that pile of plot-shitting-uponning garbage.

    5. Re:But...But........ by AntiSol · · Score: 1

      If thats the case then you should probably fire those devs and get new ones who do want to do it.

    6. Re:But...But........ by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 1

      They'll drool all over it and then call the customers who have problems with it "entitled wailing hyper-consumers" for wanting a product that actually works and isn't a buggy piece of shit missing half the advertised features.

      --
      A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    7. Re:But...But........ by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      If you tell your devs to do something they don't want to do they will do a mediocre job, this is true to any kind of development. Only committed people can produce excellent work.

      Aren't we a precious fucking snowflake?

      Meanwhile, in the real world you do the best work you can all the time. It's called being a professional, and it's what you do when you're being paid above minimum wage to do a task.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  5. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by tnk1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At this point, those gamertards are probably in their late 30's. Seriously, it's starting to be a long time now.

    It very much reads like they have no intention of doing another one. Which is actually fine, but why play coy? It's not like they ended the series in any sort of final way. People like the series and wanted to play again.

    Something makes me wonder if Gabe developed a personal issue with the series and just doesn't want to do another one. That or they have something big up their sleeve and want HL3 to be the flagship title for that thing, whatever it is.

  6. I don't get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's an existing horde of people clamoring to buy Valve's sequel/product sight-unseen. They don't want a stupid VR headset or overpriced Linux gamerbox thingy, yet Valve is wasting resources at various dead ends, instead of updating the product category that brought them success and relevance.

    1. Re:I don't get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      To be clear i want half life 3, but i want it less than a viable linux gaming platform, and i want it less than a good VR headset not owned by facebook

    2. Re:I don't get it... by Vokkyt · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No idea why this is modded as Informative -- people wanting to buy HL3 sight-unseen isn't an indicator to make it, that's an indicator for a cash-in which they're not acting on. This is a sobering but good reason as to why there's no HL3. If they aren't feeling it, they shouldn't be doing it, because it's just going to end up with unhappy Valve and unhappy gamers. No one really wins except for Valve's bank account.

      Demanding they put out HL3 without a creative impetus is like a kid demanding to eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Seriously, not everything needs to be on a scheduled release cycle; it's okay for stuff to be done when it's done instead of just forcing out a new product 'cause it's about new product time. This mentality is what leads to so much awfulness from the tech sector.

  7. Half Who?? by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 2, Interesting

    With so many awesome games out now, plus the backlog of 2014 and 2013, I just don't care about HL3 anymore, and I suspect most gamers are in the same boat.

    Secondly, it'll invariably suck simply because people's expectations are just ridiculously high after so much time waiting. Look no further than Doom 3 or Diablo 3 for evidence.

    1. Re:Half Who?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Look no further than Doom 3 or Diablo 3 for evidence.

      Or Duke Nukem Forever?

    2. Re:Half Who?? by ememisya · · Score: 1

      Or Duke Nuke'm (although that one truly sucked), this I think is a similar phenomenon to reading a book, and waiting for the movie to come out, and almost always hating the movie. Your imagination will never be less cool than someone else's I suppose :)

    3. Re:Half Who?? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

      What awesome games? I'm still waiting for a reason to buy a PS4 and so far the new game releases from 2014 and 2015 are shit-tier. Best thing I've seen so far is Mass Effect 4, which will be out... sometime before 2018... maybe. If it weren't for the release of the Mass Effect bundle last summer, I probably wouldn't be playing anything right now. The Last of Us is the only thing that's tempted me, but I hear the Multiplayer on that is pretty crappy so have decided to pass on that for now since it sounds like I'll just be doing that Single Player anyway -- so why bother shelling out $400 for that? Keep in mind that I've already played Bioshock infinite, Borderlands 2, Dead Space 3 and Dead Island Riptide (god awful pile of shit) on my PS3 before PS4 was even released.

      So I'm curious where this backlog of awesome games are, or what you mean by awesome games, because right now, I can't think of any. But I'd like to know of any that might be worth my heading out and getting a PS4. I make occasional pop-ins at Gamestop to see the new releases, but so far nothing is tempting.

    4. Re:Half Who?? by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      So I'm curious where this backlog of awesome games are, or what you mean by awesome games, because right now, I can't think of any. But I'd like to know of any that might be worth my heading out and getting a PS4. I make occasional pop-ins at Gamestop to see the new releases, but so far nothing is tempting.

      One new-ish game I got was Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor. It's pretty fun, but make sure to get the PS4 version. I have the PS3 version, so it has laggy transitions. It will pause for a minute to load a 3 second cut scene, then pause another minute after that plays another 3 second cut scene, then pause another minute to switch back to the game. From what I understand, the PS4 doesn't have that issue at all. Watch Dogs was pretty fun, and I guess the PS4 version of that is even better, especially when it comes to the driving portion of the game. Dying Light is supposed to be pretty good if you're not tired of the whole zombie apocalypse thing.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    5. Re:Half Who?? by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I was unimpressed by HL2, I didn't even play the sequels to it. A bit of a letdown. That said, I don't have much interest in shooter games, especially ones that set you tightly on the rails. I'll replay the HL1 series when I want to play something like that.

    6. Re:Half Who?? by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      My group of friends have been playing Payday 2, but I believe that is a pretty old title, though they have been releasing a ton of new content.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  8. Kickstarter! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If we raise 1 million dollars, we can send a team of people to help Terry Pratchett write another Discworld novel, making Gabe so happy he approves work on Half-Life 3.

    1. Re:Kickstarter! by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 2

      That would be one seriously impressive Kickstarter....

      "For the first step, we will breach the barrier into the next world..."

    2. Re:Kickstarter! by ralphsiegler · · Score: 3, Funny

      Didn't you hear the good news, doctor's examination confirms Terry Pratchett no longer has Alzheimers!

    3. Re:Kickstarter! by idontgno · · Score: 3, Funny

      I won't believe it until Netcraft confirms this.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    4. Re:Kickstarter! by neminem · · Score: 1

      SÊoeááoeÊYá...É'á Ê(TM)á ááá ÊoeáÊá...... DáááÊoe És á áÊáááÊ ÉÉáá ÉáoeÊ, áÒ"ááÊ áÊYÊY.

    5. Re:Kickstarter! by neminem · · Score: 1

      Wow. Epic Slashdot it's-2015-and-still-no-unicode-support fail. :(

      (Those were supposed to be small-caps, as per Death, pointing out that Death is a pretty nice guy, at least. Fail!)

    6. Re:Kickstarter! by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Wow. Epic Slashdot it's-2015-and-still-no-unicode-support fail. :(

      (Those were supposed to be small-caps, as per Death, pointing out that Death is a pretty nice guy, at least. Fail!)

      I CAN ALSO SPEAK IN ORDINARY CAPITAL LETTERS IF THAT MAKES YOU ANY HAPPIER.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  9. Retro?!?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, Gabe, Half-Life 3 wouldn't be "Retro" if you hadn't WAITED SO FREEKIN LONG!

    1. Re:Retro?!?! by ememisya · · Score: 2

      Good point :)

  10. Valve isn't the savior people thought they were... by HerculesMO · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Let's be honest... we love Valve because of Half Life, and GabeN's voice through the years.

    That's been gone for a long time. They are a money machine now, and their Steam platform is basically a printing press for said money. Where are the improvements to the Steam platform? When you rank behind EA in customer service, you have to think that there's something amiss.

    Don't get me wrong, I love Valve games, I love Steam not because it's a great platform (it's actually pretty shit), but because I have a whole bunch of games at a cheap price. The communication tools ingame are pretty terrible, the game updates themselves are pretty terrible (coming from a CSGO player), and they make exceptions to their marketplace to allow bots to trade, so they can keep a very shady betting scene from the likes of CSGOLounge/DotaLounge going strong. After all, they get a cut of every marketplace transaction. It's also the reason for the big push behind Steam Machines, which are positioned so that the likes of Microsoft and the Xbox/Windows integration to an app store (and games!) never competes. In short, Valve isn't that "indy" group of lovable "gamers who make games" any more -- they are a pretty ruthless business.

    Long story short... I don't care about Half Life 3. That's about something that isn't even here yet. I care more about their attention to the games they have out now, engagement with the community (which is how they got this big to start), and a start to a conversation with the gamers. Half Life 3 will come when it comes; I am sure Valve wants to get it out too so they can cash in another big check.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  11. Terry Pratchett is now alive? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    I saw headlines that 50 Cent was shot dead last year and Terry Pratchett died this year. What? Are they BOTH alive?

    --
    Support my political activism on Patreon.
    1. Re:Terry Pratchett is now alive? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I saw headlines that 50 Cent was shot dead last year and Terry Pratchett died this year. What? Are they BOTH alive?

      "TERRY AND I WENT FOR A WALK RECENTLY, IT'S UNLIKELY YOU'LL SEE HIM AGAIN!"

  12. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd laugh if they made a game with 3 in the title, some stylized 3, and they only show that at the beginning.
    Then make some trailer that almost looks like it could be HL3, 3 flashes on the screen, the entire audience gasp in excitement, "3 days" (or similar) shows on the screen, and it turns out to be not HL related at all, but a whole new IP.
    The absolute rage that day would ripple through time and unexist reality.

  13. Too late by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    "I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's, it's like, Oh my god, I may never get another great Discworld novel."

    It's dead, Jim.

  14. Half-Life 3 would never work by Guru80 · · Score: 2

    We have passed the point where Half-Life 3 could be welcomed with anything except massive criticism no matter how good it might be. It has taken on a life of it's own and if it wasn't so good that just being installed on your PC made you see visions of Jesus riding unicorns firing rockets at Santa Clause riding sharks firing lasers it would be scored a 0/10 - IGN. Seriously, it could never be warmly received after all these years.

    1. Re:Half-Life 3 would never work by malkavian · · Score: 1

      No, we definitely haven't passed that point. What it needs though is a well written story; that's what made the Half Life series great. Good fun, humour and a compelling story. Do they need a groundbreaking engine? Nope. Do they need something twinkly and flash? Perhpaps, but not necessarily exceeding what's already out there.. What they DO need is story. It's the thing that made the Mass Effect series so popular (and so lambasted when they 'broke' the story)... Good writers, and an immersive plot that doesn't just end in "pick one of three options".. Have that, and HL3 would be well received. Break the story, and it'll get panned.

    2. Re:Half-Life 3 would never work by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      It also needs a garden gnome.

      HL3 where it is a coop with other players taking on the role of Alex and Barney, have Chel come from the portal universe and meet up with them at the ship (can't remember the name), and they have to use the portal guns to save the world from the Combine? As you say, it doesn't even need a spectacular engine, but apparently, multiplayer is the thing now.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  15. Alternative headline by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Gabe Newell Understands Half-Life Fans Not Promising

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  16. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think they got conscious of their success and realized that they could not live up to the hype.

    Look at Duke Nukem: the sequel took forever and... sucked. Well, not exactly sucked, but it was just mediocre, which was worse than sucking. It was supposed to be the Messiah of Games and ended up being a Wal-Mart bargain bin special.

    Half Life, as a series, still has the same kind of aura that Doom and Duke Nukem had gathered about themselves. It hasn't been ruined yet: in fact, it's been augmented by the Portal series, which wasn't a sequel but rather a symbiotic addition. The words "Half Life" raise an expectation in the audience, and Gabe knows that HL3 would have trouble living up to that expectation. He doesn't want to be responsible for the next Duke Nukem Forever.

  17. Desperately Want to Believe? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Insightful

    HL2 ended with a fucking cliff hanger FFS! We were left thinking that it's time to take it to where the baddies live. What's so desperate to believe they intended to make a third installment? I always assumed that we'd see HL3 when they came out with their Source 2 gaming engine. Now Gabe's talking like HL is "retro" and the article makes it sound as if Valve has no intention to make new games that are single player. Personally, after reading that article, I hope they don't release a new HL. Gabe comes off as a major asshole who forgot that they set up the whole ending of HL2 as a segue to a sequel and is now acting like anyone who wants them to finish their story is a sorry ass loser. So fuck them. I don't buy many games, and haven't bought a Valve game since Portal2 and will make damn sure that's my last Valve purchase ever unless HL3 is released and they stop talking about their customers like they are worthless trash who are idiots for wanting a finished story when left with a cliff hanger.

    1. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by ledow · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "and haven't bought a Valve game since Portal2"

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

      Which just means you didn't buy DOTA 2 (which is Free-to-Play) or CS:GO. They don't pump out a lot of games.

      BTW: Those are their current two "Top games by current player count"

      http://store.steampowered.com/...

      by an order of magnitude over third-place TF2.

      Not insulting you, but I don't think they care much about your boycott. And I bet if they do release HL3 and it's anywhere near decent, you'll end up buying it.

      I agree they should continue the franchise, even it's just a Source-engine HL2:Episode 3 that is quite short while we wait for a proper HL3 (but I don't see that happening). But I'd much rather nothing than cocking up HL3 entirely.

    2. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by TraumaFox · · Score: 4, Interesting

      He's not saying that Half-Life is retro or that no one wants to make Half-Life 3, he's saying that no one at Valve wants to make a HL3 that is just more of the same. Valve seems to pride itself on gameplay innovations, and if they can't come up with something totally unique and creative for HL3, they aren't going to just put it out as-is.

      There are several problems with that logic, though: for one, they don't come up with those types of innovations very often and rely on hiring outside talent to provide them (e.g. Portal). Second, all that innovation hunting tends to be focused on crafting new franchises (Portal, again); I don't think Valve is particularly concerned with thinking of a new gimmick specifically for the next Half-Life.

      The biggest point is that I don't think most Half-Life fans care about that level of innovation quite as much as Mr. Newell and would be more than satisfied with a "retro" HL3. Part of the reason for this is because what we call HL3 is really just the end of HL2. Fans are more eager to see how the story ends than whatever new physics gimmick Valve is going to add to the game. I think there would be far greater expectations for a new Half-Life entry with a new story and new characters, but we know that's not what the theoretical next Half-Life game would be. The disconnect between fan expectations and Valve's expectations is very frustrating.

    3. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

      I don't think they care either. It was never meant as a formal boycott, just that I don't buy their games much anyway. However, they made lots of money on HL, and will make even more money on HL if they can be bothered to release the sequel they wrote into the plot. And this shit about Terry Prachett or whoever is ridiculous. An Author is one guy who has so much time in which to do his life's work. Valve is a company of hundreds and can hire more people to produce their products. So dishing on fans as such just comes off as really dickish.

    4. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Valve explicitly announced the Half-Life Episodes as a self-contained trilogy, so there's no wish fulfilment involved in it.

    5. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

      He's not saying that Half-Life is retro or that no one wants to make Half-Life 3, he's saying that no one at Valve wants to make a HL3 that is just more of the same. Valve seems to pride itself on gameplay innovations, and if they can't come up with something totally unique and creative for HL3, they aren't going to just put it out as-is.

      That's not what I was saying. I was saying that they backed in a lead in to a sequel into the plot. Maybe you didn't play HL2, but it ended at a major enem installation and it was made clear that the next step was to travel to where the invaders were based from. Then they just left it. It's an unfinished, incomplete story that promised to resume. And Gabe is saying they probably wont and those that want the conclusion are just delusional little shits. But Valve is a Company, not a Person and while an Author might not be able to finish his work due to illness or death, Valve is a company, is very alive and has hundreds of employees and contractors and can hire more as needed.

    6. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by chihowa · · Score: 1

      Even that argument is pretty lame, though. They specifically wrote Portal into the Half-Life universe, so the new gimmicky physics thing for Episode 3 could have just been the portal gun. It was practically all laid out for them. They could still cash in on that today.

      Even the ending (or the segue into HL3) doesn't have to be that great. The story behind HL has always been a bit cobbled together.

      I wonder if Gabe is somehow misremembering HL as much more than it ever was and only wants to follow it with a masterpiece.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    7. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by lexman098 · · Score: 1

      They don't pump out a lot of games.

      These days they don't pump out much of anything other than half-baked promises. Look at all the physical vaporwear they've been pedaling. That's become the problem with Valve. They don't want to make HL3, which is fine I guess, but they don't seem to do shit else either. Maybe instead of just letting his employees work on whatever they want, Gabe should start mandating that they also produce *something* marketable.

    8. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by AntiSol · · Score: 1

      You're not the first to boycott them, and you won't be the last. Welcome!
      One day there will be enough of us that they'll start caring.

      And I bet if they do release HL3 and it's anywhere near decent, you'll end up buying it.

      No, I will pirate it.

    9. Re:Desperately Want to Believe? by uninformedLuddite · · Score: 1

      I want my fucking money back for Ep1 and Ep2 if there is going to be no conclusion. I bought an episodic game and I expect closure and not to be just left hanging. if there was a petition for refunds I would sign it.

      --
      The new right fascists are bilingual. They speak English and Bullshit.
  18. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by ledow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    DNF changed hands, was abandoned, resurrected, revamped, rewritten, etc. with the details in public before it ever got close to a release. The screenshots from 10 years before look NOTHING like the final game at all. At some point, someone just said "Let's push anything and live off the scam to at least recoup our money".

    HL3 doesn't have that legacy. Same guys (probably not exactly, but near enough). Same software. Same engine. Same designers. Same artists. Same programmers. Same company. No hype. No feature promises. No screenshots, even. A company making money hand-over-fist outside of game development to invest into the game. It's a totally different scenario (which makes it much more frustrating).

    At this point a HDR HL2 sequel that was written in the same engine, same quality of graphics and game style with a few gimmicks would go down just as well and you can just say "This is Episode 3, the same as Episode 1 and 2 but finishing the story somewhat, and Half-Life 3 will come out later".

    That they don't do this makes me think they have something planned. SteamOS maybe? I don't know. But I'd rather they kept the HL universe alive with some "expansion" to HL2 than cocked-up HL3 in the same way as DNF. I can't imagine them doing either, though.

  19. Re: mod redemption by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can someone mod parent down for being an arse ? :)

  20. Re:More vaporware from Steam/Valve by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Has playing DOTA 2 really drained them so much that they can't deliver on their most anticipated products in the last decade?

    Fixed.

  21. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by bulled · · Score: 1

    When you rank behind EA in customer service, you have to think that there's something amiss.

    I don't take issue with most of your points, but citation needed here. As someone that has actually tried to play an EA game in the recent past, Valve is no where near as awful to their customers as EA.

  22. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    http://www.afterdawn.com/news/...

    There are a hundred links to the article with a simple search, but just use "Valve customer service score" and search for dates in the last week or so, you should have a plethora. I just chose one at random.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  23. Terry Pratchett being dead might well cut the odds by SillyBrit · · Score: 1

    "I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's, it's like, Oh my god, I may never get another great Discworld novel." he said? Considering how he sadly passed away on March 12th 2015, the chances are that you might well not get another Discworld novel.

    --
    --- To save space, would readers please insert their own witty comment -here-
  24. A Wise Move by KermodeBear · · Score: 1

    Honestly, I see this as a wise move. There's an incredible risk of providing a game that won't meet the extremely high expectations; and who knows what kind of staffing and office politics might affect development and direction. Also if there isn't that divine spark of creation, that burning vision to create, then the result will be, at best, lackluster. Halflife and Halflife 2 were obviously projects of passion.

    Without passion in your work, you're just doing the daily grind. That doesn't lead to an inspiring product. It leads to what 90% of game companies churn out every day. The same old crap.

    I'd love a HL3, sure, but only if it is fantastic.

    --
    Love sees no species.
  25. Retro classic? by Crookdotter · · Score: 1

    I really don't understand what he's saying. There is a place still for story driven, single player FPS puzzle solvers like Half Life. If nothing else, this would have made a great test show for Source 2.

    With the success of HL, then HL2 and all the money that brought in and the variety of games that exploded around it, you'd think that Valve employees would be eager to start HL3 now. It's been so long since the last HL episode that a new engine would bring new life to a series.

    The man needs to give a full, clear interview and / or be asked the right questions.

    1. Re:Retro classic? by Richy_T · · Score: 1

      Hats off to you.

  26. LAZY by Sir+Foxx · · Score: 1

    This is so lazy. It's what happens when some people get everything after achieving so much. I just hope of some of the talent there who still have fire to produce ever better masterpieces push to be given the ball and see if they run with it or not. At least try. And yes this a purely selfish appeal to get HL3. So whose gonna "COWBOY UP" and make that happen?

    --
    "I don't which is worse, that everyone has a price, or that the price is always so low"--Hobbes
  27. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by netsavior · · Score: 4, Informative

    People hate Valve's customer service, sure, but across my 5 accounts (including my kids accounts) I have never had a reason to need support on Steam. I have bought 3 EA games in the last decade and have had to contact EA support 4 times. They were helpful each time. But which company gave me better customer service? The one that made a system where I don't need support at all, or the one that forced me to TALK ON THE PHONE like some sort of oxcart driver in order to unfuck my Sim City singleplayer online game.

    Customer service scores are great and all, but if I never need support at all, that ranks much higher on my hierarchy of ratings.

  28. HL3 pre-quel confirmed! by HnT · · Score: 1

    So, HL3 confirmed as a "prequel", right?

    --
    "Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." - Mark Twain
  29. Humbug! by Diddlbiker · · Score: 1

    So you claim there will be three parts, release a part 1 and a part 2, end part two with a cliffhanger and then bork up the sequal. Again and again.

    And after waiting long enough with the promised sequeal you claim we don't go retro for no reason. Nice way to treat fans.

  30. What about HL2: Episode 3 by neo-mkrey · · Score: 1

    That's what I want. I could care less about HL3.

    1. Re:What about HL2: Episode 3 by GoddersUK · · Score: 1

      I could care less about HL3.

      Obligatory PSA regarding your butchered idiom.

      On topic: Completely agree. In the Zero Punctuation review of The Orange Box Yahtzee observed that:

      Episode 2 does suffer a little from being the middle child, there's no real beginning and no real end so the story tends to meander around and it's difficult to shake the feeling that we're just killing time before the next episode wraps it all up.

      Over 7 years later we're still waiting... :(

  31. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by jandrese · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Duke Nukem release did do at least one bit of good for the community: It got everyone to stop talking about Duke Nukem Forever. Apparently some people just need closure.

    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  32. R.I.P. Half-Life by Berkyjay · · Score: 1

    Sure sounds like hey have no interest in making anymore HL games. That's a damn shame.

  33. Not in Valve's commercial interest by RogueyWon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Valve has no commercial interest in making Half-Life 3. It's not that the game wouldn't be profitable. It almost certainly would be - lots of people would buy it. But it would risk the wider strategy they've been pursuing for a decade now.

    Valve's income these days isn't from making and selling games; it's from charging other people to sell games via Steam. Seriously - you buy a game on Steam and a big slug of the price you pay goes straight to Valve. Sure, they have hosting costs, but there is a lot of pure profit in there.

    Ever since Steam started to be a big thing, Valve has focussed on more niche games rather than big-budget fpses. It does not want to be seen as threatening or a rival to its biggest business partners. EA have already taken their toys and gone home to Origin; Valve's dominance of the PC gaming market relies on keeping Activision, Ubisoft and others on board.

    And a big part of that is not being seen as a competitor. If Activision wants to pay Valve a lot of money to plaster the Steam front-page with a huge Call of Duty advert, then that's good for Valve. But Activision might get nervous if they worried that the platform they were using was run by a company that was actively pushing a game in competition with theirs.

    Over in console-land, Sony and Microsoft's first party exclusives are generally put out there to sell consoles (not always a profitable activity in itself). They build up the installed base to get the third parties interested. The only platform-owner to really emphasise first-party games development is Nintendo, who, surprise surprise, have terrible third-party relationships.

    Far easier for Valve to allow other people to put the effort in to making money for them, rather than take the risk of investing in games development to make direct income from sales. Particularly now that Steam is so ubiquitous as a platform that it doesn't need first-party games to grow the installed base.

    1. Re:Not in Valve's commercial interest by phorm · · Score: 1

      "Valve has no commercial interest in making Half-Life 3"

      Unless they use it to drive something else. Sometimes like... say... a Valve console, with a limited exclusive of HL3 at launch...

    2. Re:Not in Valve's commercial interest by RogueyWon · · Score: 1

      That's possible. Though I think the idea of Valve making a console exclusive - even for their own console - would take a lot of swallowing for the company.

    3. Re:Not in Valve's commercial interest by phorm · · Score: 1

      It doesn't have to be a full exclusive, that's where the "limited" comes in.
      Just make it a release-exclusive, which will reel in the fanboys/fangirls, but allow a more broad release a few months etc down the road.

  34. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    I think you misread it, then.

    Valve is generally only interested in money. So I think HL3 is going to come, but it will come whenever it comes. The problem is that at Valve, Steam is the real moneymaker (even if they released HL3 tomorrow) and their focus is on the cash cow.

    I never said Valve wasn't interested in making the game, I just said I'm not interested in talking about things that aren't here yet.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  35. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    But this is a single instance where you don't. I don't either, for that matter. But the fact that when you do, or you might, that their customer service sucks beyond EA's... that's never good.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  36. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by chihowa · · Score: 1

    That they don't do this makes me think they have something planned.

    This failure to continue the series is pretty much the only source of hype surrounding Half-Life. The expectations are so low, it seems like the only reason to not make HL3 or HL2 ep3 is that they must be planning something amazing.

    Episode 3 could have easily just been a continuation of episode 2 with the portal gun or HDR. Hell, they could release that right now and it would be very successful. The actual story in HL has always been pretty tepid anyway... so does the Combine take over Earth or not? No big deal either way. This isn't like Mass Effect, where the story was actually epic and central to the series. They could just lead up to another cliffhanger and they'd be fine. There are almost no expectations for a mind-blowing Episode 3.

    --
    If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
  37. The best stories... by blueshift_1 · · Score: 1

    The best stories have no "ending". Because a wrapped up sort of endings always feel a bit cliche and thin. But with so many possibilities open, it allows for user/player interpretation.

    1. Re:The best stories... by tehcyder · · Score: 2

      The best stories have no "ending". Because a wrapped up sort of endings always feel a bit cliche and thin. But with so many possibilities open, it allows for user/player interpretation.

      Nice try Gabe.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  38. DNF by phorm · · Score: 1

    On the other hand, we DON'T want another "duke nukum forever" ....

  39. Stairway to heaven , part 3 by RSilverlok · · Score: 2

    Back when HL came out I had a buddy whom was a real life Army Ranger ( with thirteen missions on his coin) . He thought video games were for , " geeks and eggheads " . I dragged my game machine to his house and forced him play a bit of it ....several days and almost no sleep later , he came to me and said, " that was fucking AMAZING, i want to play more games like that , show me more games like that...", and I had to hit him with that horrible gut punch ," sorry man , that's all she wrote, there aren't any other games like that ". If you go back and play HL ( or better yet the awesome 'Black Mesa' ) and then play HL2, you will notice the trouble inherent in creative success when you jump to ep1, ep2. It's hard to remember what was the lightning and what was the lightning rod back in the beginning that forged the HL goodness. I mean HL was based on the supposedly 'true' story of a guy claiming to be a guard ( where the idea of Barney came from ) that escaped the secret Dulce military base in New mexico . True or not some damn fine source material to work with . In HL2 they basically explord the logical aftermath implications of the first game and added some cool bits ( mostly borrowed from other obscure places like: the gravity gun; "inspired" entirely by how the character in the game Trespasser handled objects ). But in ep1&2 the original magic is gone, some of the levels were mind numbingly bad ( like, how many hours do I have to play in poorly lit or totally dark jump scare tunnels, or the "someone got CS:GO in my Half-life" style levels where you had no way of not being at a tactical dis-advantage as you criss-cross the same landscape again and again ). So in Newell's case he has to say nothing. If the magic is dead and lightning cannot strike the HL franchise a third time , then he needs to keep millions of raving fanboys at home polishing their homemade gravity guns , and not say, storming his castle ( or constantly hacking steam servers ) and burning all his stuff down. Alternatively if , by some magic they were producing another lightning infused HL game ( and not just something grossly self-indulgent ) how could he possibly say anything that could be squeezed between HL3's expectations and the hype ceiling that already exists? Perhaps he should just sell the rights to HL3 to TakeTwo or rockstar It would be interesting to see what they could do with it

  40. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by bulled · · Score: 1

    IMO, it is far worse to outright lie to customers (think SimCity isn't failing to start because of DRM, oh wait, that is exactly why you can't start it) than to have spotty customer support. Especially when, as others have stated, I have had to contact Valve support all of 0 times in the decade I have been using Steam or playing Valve games. This is, like, my opinion, man. YMMV.

  41. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by AntiSol · · Score: 1

    There's a solution to this, it's called the humble store. Cut off valve's money-making machine and suddenly they'll start caring again.

  42. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    Conversely, I really haven't had any issues with Origin's service either. And I play a bit of BF4 not to mention Mass Effect and some other games.

    Granted my usage of Steam is far higher.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  43. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    Or Microsoft's app store -- which is poised to compete with them in the combination of Xbox into their marketplace.

    Will be interesting times, regardless.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  44. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by AntiSol · · Score: 1

    Well, I wouldn't exactly condone giving microsoft money either, but to each his own.

    GOG is another games retailer with ethics.

  45. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by HerculesMO · · Score: 1

    I'm not condoning it, but I don't really subscribe to Steam for the "ethics" of it -- I just want cheap games easily accessible.

    If Microsoft can do that and provide some nice social tools to boot, then I will give them my money. Or GOG, or Humble, or anybody else. (thought the irony is with GOG/Humble is that they are usually Steam activated).

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
  46. Gameplay? Story? by drstevep · · Score: 2

    There is gameplay and there is story. There is story and there is art. There is business and profit and legacy.

    Why do we want HL2E3? It isn't gameplay (for the most part). We can get that anywhere. Do you pull out HL2E1 or HL2E2 (or even Black Mesa) every now and then? Yeah. It is story. It is borderline art (though my artist-wife would guffaw to read that).

    Story, give us story. If no one is interested in completing it, is it because no one is interested in the story, or because no one is interested in extending the gameplay? Would it be a fulfilling experience to take their existing framework, give it to new devs as an experimental/toy playground and treat it as a "have fun" environment? Would they be able to entice a team into a non-profit-driven, do-it-for-the-fan-accolades pro bono/cover the cost experience?

    Do it, Gabe. How you sell it internally ("another game release in our catalog" vs. "art and glory for the ages") HIGHLY influences how it appears to potential team members. You can sell product outside, I'm sure you can sell it inside as well.

  47. Gordon needs a portal gun! by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

    Honestly, Freeman portaling around to take on the Combine isn't innovative enough for HL3? So hire some decent writers, figure out how to make portals work in Halflife, and go to town. As long as they don't totally cock it up it'll make millions and the fanboyz will settle down for a few more years. Everybody wins!

    --
    Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
    1. Re:Gordon needs a portal gun! by PPalmgren · · Score: 1

      One of the things I'm not sure about, though a hardcore fan might have figured it out, is the chronology of the events. What if, for example, portal 2 takes place 20 years before HL2E2? What if GlaDOS has gotten bored of 'testing' and started developing? What if there's a link beteween the ship and the GlaDOS testing facility that brings GlaDOS on board for HL3?

      They have a lot of ways they can merge the stories to allow for new gameplay elements not restricted by the two games canon. I really wish they'd do it because the story was very solid and compelling, and needs to be finished, but not much we can do about that.

  48. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    That's more lucky than good though. Steam does very little to make sure shit works. Older games are notorious for problems whereas other services (like GOG) make sure they are fixed to work on modern systems. If you ever do need support, Steam is a nightmare.

    I agree that needing less maintenance is better than having good maintenance support, but you need a large sample size to be able to tell if that is the case or if you just got lucky. For example I have needed maintenance on precisely zero of my LG appliances, whereas I have needed maintenance on one of my Kenmore appliances... thing is I have owned a grand total of two LG appliances and one Kenmore appliance. That doesn't tell me anything, we are WAAAY below any sort of statistical significance.

    On the other hand at work I can say we use Seagate and HGST enterprise drives because we have had zero failures across about 200 drives, as compared to WD RE drives which have had about 40 failures across 400 drives. That is a large enough sample set that the results are meaningful.

    I've needed Steam support precisely once, and was unable to get it. I've needed Origin support zero times, but not necessarily because it is problem free but because I have been lucky.

    It's easy to write off customer service and praise a brand if you've been lucky and never had problems, but you discover how very important it can be when a problem does occur, and nothing in this world is problem free.

  49. Also the games they do make are nothing special by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Yes DOTA 2 and CS:GO are very popular, but innovative they are not. CS:GO is just Counterstrike. New graphics and some tweaks, but same game it ever way. DOTA 2 is just another MOBA, one of very many, not the biggest out there (that's League of Legends) and it borrows heavily from other games. They are popular not because they are amazing new titles doing never before seen stuff, they are popular because it is the same shit people like, well executed and pushed on the most popular PC game store.

    Not hating on that, but this idea that Valve is some sort of amazin' developer that only puts out revolutionary titles is a false one. Lately all they've "pumped out" are rehashes that are popular for doing what has been done before and people liked, not because they moved in a new direction.

  50. No, it'll get praise no matter what by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Valve is one of those devs that can do no wrong in most people's eyes. They'll get high scores because of who they and, and because of what people want Halflife to be.

    You want an example of shit like that happening? Look at Civilization 5. It wasn't a great Civ game. It wasn't BAD, but it was a step down from 4 in most ways. Realistic scores would have been 7/10 or so. However all the reviews were glowing. Why? Because reviewers WANTED it to be good. They love Civ, have loved it for a long time, and have an emotional investment in it being good. So they reviewed the game they wanted it to be, not what it was.

    Unless HL3 was complete shit, it would get off the charts good reviews because people want it to be good so badly.

    1. Re:No, it'll get praise no matter what by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

      I have and you are right, they made it a very good game, just stating that on release all those 9 and 10 scores were BS, based on what people wanted it to be, not what it was. As it stands now, solid 9.

  51. TIL by tiagosousa · · Score: 1

    TIL Half-Life 2 is a 'super classic' kind of product.

  52. that's a short meeting by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    "and had a reasonable explanation for why it was"
    MOOONNNEEEEYYY. Alright, project approved.

  53. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 2

    If Microsoft can do that and provide some nice social tools to boot, then I will give them my money. Or GOG, or Humble, or anybody else. (thought the irony is with GOG/Humble is that they are usually Steam activated).

    Minor correction:

    HumbleBundle games often offer titles through the Steam platform, which requires you to activate their titles online first, which can be a surprise for someone who buys a game through HumbleBundle not expecting that sort of inquisition.

    GOG.com never does; their chief claim to fame is that that their titles are DRM-free and are not tied down to any sort of online activation. Yes, offering products that are DRM-free as well as providing access to otherwise abandoned titles.

    Erm, their two claims to fame are no DRM, great old games... and low prices. Three! Their three claims to fame are no DRM, great games, low prices... and getting those older titles to work on newer hardware. Four, no... amongst their chief claims are, erm, such elements as no DRM, great games...

    Look, I'll just come in again, shall I?

  54. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by complete+loony · · Score: 1

    ... if a whole bunch of people internally at Valve said they wanted to do it ...

    He's being quite literal there. Valve doesn't force people to work on particular projects. If nobody wants to do it, it wont get done.

    --
    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
  55. Unfinished tales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's, it's like, Oh my god, I may never get another great Discworld novel."

    The difference is that, as far as I am aware, Terry Pratchett finished every single story he published.

  56. Prefer Co-op by cyclomedia · · Score: 2

    I have 3 brothers, back in the day we played Doom, Doom II, Duke Nukem, Quake, Quake II and Unreal coop with 2 to 4 of us doing the whole game. Half Life came along and Coop was out the window, we fired up "Multiplayer" and found ourselves in a warehouse with a bunch of guns, no monsters and no way out, like, WTF do we do now!???

    --
    If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
  57. They already made HL3 by cyclomedia · · Score: 1

    it's called "The Last Of Us"

    Humans infected and turned into zombies? Check. Underwater collapsed buildings? Check. Army out to get you? Check. Filing Cabinets, Crates and Bins to climb on? etc.

    --
    If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
  58. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by tehcyder · · Score: 1

    I'm a gametard

    You fell into his cunning trap there.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  59. Re:Thew only thing he understands is the cheesebur by tehcyder · · Score: 1

    Can't respect someone as overweight as he is. If you don't respect your body enough to take care of it, I can't be bothered either.

    Boy did you pick the wrong forum to post that.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  60. Re:Terry Pratchett being dead might well cut the o by tehcyder · · Score: 1

    "I am a fan of Terry Pratchett and he has Alzheimer's, it's like, Oh my god, I may never get another great Discworld novel." he said? Considering how he sadly passed away on March 12th 2015, the chances are that you might well not get another Discworld novel.

    It's just vaguely possible that the interview was filmed before March 12th 2015.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  61. Re:Valve isn't the savior people thought they were by netsavior · · Score: 1

    Car analog - Is Hyundai better than Honda because they have better warranties? NO, of course not.

    Excellent customer service when a failure occurs is worse than no failure occurring. A LOT worse.

  62. Re:Hes talking shit, as usual by Samizdata · · Score: 1

    And it's not like the people that finished DNF, Gearbox, have the best track record.

    --
    It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage. - Colonel Henry Walton Jones, Jr., Ph.D.
  63. Re: mod redemption by rot26 · · Score: 1

    Thank you. :-)

    Mod points +11, -12.

    So I lose but also had the opportunity to collect +11 mod points. I'm not sure how that affects my karma, but since I've had excellent karma since before most of you started shaving your pubes and hanging around bus station toilets, I'm pretty sure I'm gold.

    --



    To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target