The Half-Life 3 thread of closure and memorium AKA what Tyler McVicker just said on YouTube

[-HP-]

 

[Sprony]

I'm wondering what's going on at Valve right now seeing all this new data all of a sudden.

[RaVaGe]

3 hours ago, Sprony said:

I'm wondering what's going on at Valve right now seeing all this new data all of a sudden.

I hope it's all fire and desolation. That might make them move their lazy ass.

[Radu]

Probably two or three guys talking it over some twinkies at the snack bar.

[Sigma]

53 minutes ago, Radu said:

Probably two or three guys talking it over some twinkies at the snack bar.

That or its gearing up the hype for the next installment finally being opened up to public consumption (by permitting these leaks) - or they're cleaning the slate to begin work on the next installment completely fresh. Who knows. . . not getting my hopes up anyway. Too many other games to play, and story wise Half-Life is competing against some great new IP's that have come down in the interim.

[Sprony]

Well they did warn us in the original game:

"Forget about Freeman"

[RaVaGe]

I think it's time to launch Hurg studios and finish the EP3. Here's the master plan :

 

> Launch Hurg Studios

> Finish EP3

> Get bought by Valve

> ...

> Profit.

(might get some problems with Valve not buying but suing us instead.)

[baem123]

On 25.8.2017 at 0:58 PM, will2k said:

New HL/game=risky, uncertain return on investment

 

It is risky if you are afraid that old Half Life Fans don't like the new game, but it would never be a risky investment.

[blackdog]

On 25/08/2017 at 11:58 AM, will2k said:

Valve has been out of the game for a long time now, resting on its past laurels, and coming up with a new game with ground-breaking story/gameplay mechanics is probably a big boot to fill. Add to this that the game development scene is rapidly shifting, and we now see many small indie devs producing AAA quality games, further putting the pressure on Valve to deliver.

It might be the reason why they sort of incubated a couple of indie devs in the past months. Like you say they have a huge gap to fill, they might get their way in by publishing and producing smaller productions some time in the future

[blackdog]

On 27/08/2017 at 3:54 PM, will2k said:

I would have to disagree with you on the single player experience. Some games from the 90s are still being played today; the magic "ingredient": mods.

You make a great game, make it moddable with a proper SDK, sit back and watch it live long past its expected shelf life.

Case in point, Half-Life itself:

Awesome, ground-breaking single player, coupled with a decent multiplayer component and a myriad of free mods is keeping the game alive til now.

I will disagree as well a company cannot count on the modding as a business plan, the need a short term ROI, you can't wait 10 years...

In terms of MP I don't think HL fans really care about DM, focusing on SP only would be better. Yes an MP that leverages some new mechanic could be fun, but wouldn't sell the game in this competitive scenario. At least I don't think. Is not like COD that stands on three staples and there are gamers that buy the new game even for just one mode. 

Edited August 29, 2017 by blackdog

[will2k]

So, to summarize, this is basically how EP3 ends

[Sprony]

https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/30/theres-a-half-life-2-episode-3-game-jam-designed-to-bring-marc-laidlaws-vision-to-life/

 

[dux]

As if that's going to go anywhere.

[FMPONE]

2 minutes ago, dux said:

As if that's going to go anywhere.

We're just jaded from the mod scene, broham.

[FMPONE]

On 8/27/2017 at 10:54 AM, will2k said:

I've been a strong advocate of breaking steam's monopoly over the years but, in reality, the more time passes, the harder it becomes to do so.

The competing platforms should have happened before 2010 when steam was just a DRM content delivery platform; through the years, it has become a social media platform, a workshop, a gambling platform, a game startup incubator, and generally an easy way to make money. Gamers and developers alike are now deeply rooted in steam, and migrating to a new platform might prove cumbersome. People by default do not like change. It's still feasible though but the new platform has to be very lucrative for both gamers and developers to warrant all the hassle of moving.

If a new platform offers the same services/games as steam in addition to some REAL customer service, then I expect steam to lose at least quarter to half of its market share in a year, and you could see an exodus of gamers and devs. In this case, even a new IP/game from Valve won't save them.

What Valve might, and probably will do is add new features to steam to prevent further market erosion and lure gamers/devs back. I highly doubt they will think of a new game to save the platform.

There is always a tried-and-tested way to make them change their minds (and @Sprony will back me up on this one ): vote/protest with your wallet; let them feel the heat.

I would have to disagree with you on the single player experience. Some games from the 90s are still being played today; the magic "ingredient": mods.

You make a great game, make it moddable with a proper SDK, sit back and watch it live long past its expected shelf life.

Case in point, Half-Life itself:

Awesome, ground-breaking single player, coupled with a decent multiplayer component and a myriad of free mods is keeping the game alive til now.

The problem in games started when "the suits" from upstairs started to have the last word in games over the creative people.

The shitty concepts of paid DLCs, early-access, and micro-transactions started to creep in, and this has become the standard way to keep your players hooked.

As for VR, it's a nice concept but I don't see it as a crucial necessity in today's gaming. You can well game and live without it, hence the very slow adoption rate.

I honestly don't see it becoming mainstream in the next 5-10 years; after that, who knows, maybe porn VR will become the norm and force the adoption of VR

I think the difference with SP and MP is just raw numbers of players. The expectation for HL3, perhaps unreasonably, is that it has tons of people playing it not only on release, but it sustains a population like all the big games do nowadays. If it somehow was a huge hit but then the numbers fell off over time like Portal 2, even though that was an amazing game, I think by a certain standard (again it's a bit goofy) that's a failure, because it didn't create persistent engagement like CSGO or Dota2. 

In other words, I just doubt SP is attractive anymore in contrast to MP for that reason.

HL3 on VR would be innovative and exciting enough to paper over that problem, maybe, but VR might be a turn off for some.

I think the death of a retail sales model and the creation of huge community MP games has meant there's not that incentive to spend years creating a big narrative game that will be hot for a month or two at most. It's sad but there is a clear logic there.

I wish Valve would look at themselves in the mirror and say "we are rich. We can afford this investment for our fans. It symbolizes the health of our company. It defines our brand."

Its just very challenging to see them doing something on the scale of HL2 ever again, and that's a loss for all gamers. Thankfully people genuinely like CSGO and Dota.