Half-Life 2: Episode 3 is rumored not to be coming in 2010

Scratched wrote:

I think that's an important point. I get that Valve feels the need to innovate, or at least a project has to be interesting to them, but to a certain extent I wouldn't mind if ep3 was 'by the numbers'. Sure, I want to be interested and engaged while playing, but I don't want the wheel reinvented.

Mass Effect 3 was 'by the numbers' and look what happened there.

The "gamer expectations" bit was tossed around by the gaming "press" (notice I "" press because video game journalists at most sites have become "yes men" for the big publishers, otherwise they wouldn't get their shiny free toys to play with early to give glowing reviews to to get more free toys )... but anyway the press, they dumped all of ME3's bad ending stuff on "gamer expectations." Mostly to defend all the 9s and 10s they gave the game in reviews. I wonder sometimes if half of them even finished the game or were paying attention? There were a bunch of things that just didn't make any damn sense in it, whether you liked it or not. To not even question the ending and immediately shift all the blame for the uproar over to core gamers and unrealistic expectations instead of examining the rumors coming out of Bioware itself about the story team not getting input on the finale or the leaks from before about dark matter causing them to change the ending... you know doing some actual journalism... is pretty sloppy, and why the gaming "press" doesn't deserve much respect right now.

nel e nel wrote:

This is what I was getting at with my posts above. Where does the creator trying to best themselves end and the consumer's expectation begin in a situation like this? The amount of reverence given Half-Life must be daunting to Valve. Quite frankly, if it were me, and seeing the way the internet reacts to things I would just say "You know what? f*ck it. I don't need strangers threatening my family. Half-Life is done."

Ironically enough, saying that Half-Life is done would probably get me death threats anyways.

Isn't that pretty much what Valve have done though, worked on the projects they wanted to and made them. They seem to be on the "not giving a f***" ball pretty well already, and they've got tons of people they are satisfying. It sounds similar to the piracy problem - it's not about the people you're not selling to, it's about the people you can sell to.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

What I'm saying is that a focus on besting a previous creative work can be absolutely crippling for artists and rarely ends well.

They have a lot of pride in the their work and the opportunity to work on whatever they want at the company. No bosses, remember?

It's not like they're staying up long hours and being away from their families. Newell pushed the company away from all that stuff after Half-Life 2. They're just taking the time they feel they need to to produce the product they want.

If they want to take their time and make a game that does them proud, then I'm all for it.

You've missed my point. I'm not talking about the work load. I don't think anyone assumes the Half-Life team has been in a Team Bondi-style crunch mode for years. I'm talking about the psychological toll of being singularly focused on creating something that's more perfect than what you've done previously. That's the kind of thing that makes James Joyce slave for 16 years to top Ulysses or Jeff Mangum and Kevin Shields to stop recording music. Or makes George Broussard bankrupt his company by starting Duke Nukem Forever over from scratch a couple times a year in a relentless pursuit of the best FPS. In sports they'd call it choking.

Well, I don't agree with your assertion that trying to top oneself "usually ends poorly," either. Sometimes, sure. But usually it's a good attitude to have. The people who blow it usually do so because of ego issues, production management problems (which is the real story behind DNF) or other reasons, not because they're trying too hard to be awesome.

I really don't see Valve falling down that trap. They just have a slow, iterative process, which is why they eventually churn out such great sh*t.

EDIT: nm this isn't the thread for this discussion.

So, do you guys think we'll see Lamar again?

Puce Moose wrote:

So, do you guys think we'll see Lamar again?

I just realised what Valve's next project is! It's a Lamar spin-off title! Chronicling his crazy adventures after he escapes and futses up the teleport when Gordon's in it.

It'll be like Blueshift or Opposing Force in how it'll parallel the events of HL2, Ep1 and Ep2.

Duoae wrote:

It'll be like Blueshift or Opposing Force in how it'll parallel the events of HL2, Ep1 and Ep2.

In all seriousness, it's a shame they didn't do something similar with Half-Life 2, I really enjoyed Opposing Force (and Blue Shift to a lesser degree), seeing the same events again from a different perspective.

I have no idea who the protagonist would be in such a situation (probably Barney again I guess), but it would have been interesting at least. The real trick would've been coming up with another clever science pun for the title.

Yeah I had a lot of fun with those.

Puce Moose wrote:

So, do you guys think we'll see Lamar again?

Shame they

Spoiler:

killed her in episode 2. :(

Granted, it was in the most hilarious fashion possible.

Half Life 3? That'd be cool. Whenever it's ready would be fine.

Opposing Force 2? I would travel to Washington by foot to play three minutes of that game. Adrian Shepard. Never Forget.

Today in rumour control: Next-Gen Source 2 Engine Is In Development
The juicy bit is from Source Film Maker code:

'''Return an str with the current engine version.
If key doesn't doesn't exist, assume 'Source', otherwise invalid -- assume next-gen 'Source 2'.'''

If it's true I'd say because because you've got SFM referencing both engines, rather than a tool for source(1) and another tool for a presumably completely different and incompatible source2, that source2 would be a similar evolution as valve did from GoldSrc (HL1 engine). It would be where they draw a line under source(1) and continue developing a new fork to allow themselves to make more radical changes, but keeping the fundamentals that work for them.

Game Informer is being forced to withhold their next cover because it will spoil a "world premiere" announcement. Also On September 17th, Gametrailers is doing a bit on Valve. Let's get this hype train going people.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/DLsGJ.png)

So, until Tuesday there's no idea if this is anything to do with Valve, just that another completely unrelated company (as far as I can tell) is doing something about Valve's past work in the same week, the week of Gamescom a pretty big games show where there's going to be lots of news, the same week CS:GO goes beta for pre-purchasers and the week before it releases.

It's the one thing I hate about valve or any company that has fairly good secrecy is that everyone starts grasping at straws.

At this point if it ever comes out.. I will have to replay the entire series again just to remember what the F was going on.. I think Gordon is back?

TheGameguru wrote:

At this point if it ever comes out.. I will have to replay the entire series again just to remember what the F was going on.. I think Gordon is back?

And he has... a dog? Or something? Oh, and I'm fairly sure that terrestrial germs wipe out some big three-legged aliens. Or am I getting confused with something else?

How do you people not replay the series at least annually?

NSMike wrote:

How do you people not replay the series at least annually?

The pile, it is large.

shoptroll wrote:

I'll laugh if it's a Project Titan (Blizzard's next MMO) reveal.

I'd be almost as excited for that as for HL2EP3, to be honest.

Also, I was kidding earlier, in case that wasn't obvious. I don't replay the Half Life games annually, but I have finished all of them multiple times. Please don't take my gamercard!

Note: Chrome spellchecker thought my misspelling of 'anually' should have been 'anally'. It sounds uncomfortable.

Stengah wrote:
NSMike wrote:

How do you people not replay the series at least annually?

The pile, it is large.

I'll laugh if it's a Project Titan (Blizzard's next MMO) reveal.

TheGameguru wrote:

At this point if it ever comes out.. I will have to replay the entire series again just to remember what the F was going on.. I think Gordon is back?

Speak for yourself, I haven't even played any of the franchise yet (unless you count Portal and Portal 2)...

... I'll show myself out.

TheGameguru wrote:

At this point if it ever comes out.. I will have to replay the entire series again just to remember what the F was going on.. I think Gordon is back?

If its not the FINAL episode I won't play it.

PAR

shoptroll wrote:

Actually, it can't be HL3. We'd be knee-deep in an ARG by now if it was.

You didn't think TF2 hats, Valve selling "non-game" software, and the leaked "employee manual" were all just things Valve was doing, did you? We're way more than knee-deep in an ARG.

Actually, it can't be HL3. We'd be knee-deep in an ARG by now if it was.

EDIT: On further thinking.... New XBox reveal at Gamescom?

Scratch that. MS says they won't be at Gamescom. However, Capcom, EA and Sony have press conferences lined up for the 14th.

ChrisGwinn wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

Actually, it can't be HL3. We'd be knee-deep in an ARG by now if it was.

You didn't think TF2 hats, Valve selling "non-game" software, and the leaked "employee manual" were all just things Valve was doing, did you? We're way more than knee-deep in an ARG.

Mannco secretly based on the Borealis. Pyro is Alex. Heard it here first.

TheGameguru wrote:

At this point if it ever comes out.. I will have to replay the entire series again just to remember what the F was going on.. I think Gordon is back?

I too will be replaying the entire series prior to release, but mainly for the nostalgic part of it. PErhaps a couple nights worth of HL:Deathmatch. DATACORE!

I have a feeling a sequel of this magnitude won't just be released. They'll probably have a two-week ARG that's so out of this world that it'll make the release of Meet the Pyro look like candy land. Oh, wait.....

BOYCOTT

Valve haven't released a Left4 Dead sequel in a while.

Just sayin'.