All i want to say is: screw you valve

[Non-Sequitur]

Valve isn't pumping this game out for their love of money, and I think they would finish up the game if they weren't getting any money from it. Have you even watched any of the interviews yet? If they loved money so much they wouldn't be game developers

I can't believe you're so oblivious as to how companies work...

You know, if HL2 doesn't bring back at least few times more than what it cost to make... There will never be a HL3?

Games cost money to produce and distribute. Businesses cost money to run. If they didn't focus on money, then we'd never have any games at all. That's the sad truth. Valve is a BUSINESS. Not a charity.

And if they don't care about the money... why don't they prove it by selling HL2 as a budget title? Ohhh... it mightn't have anything to do with profits now would it? Jeez. They've already made money out of the engine before the game's even been released... at least 2 other companies have liscensed the Source engine for their own games... I don't think Valve would have "donated" the engine to them...

 

[Vegeta897]

Well, quite alot of information here, and still going.

Now for my point: I trust Valve that they know what they're doing, and indeed they would have released the game earlier if they did it entirly for money, don't gimme that business crap. They want (and have) a good reputation of caring for their community and supporting them. For it is a very rewarding thing. Half-Life 2 will be one of the few games that will go down as a legend, and we will be here to enjoy it. Half-Life was delayed a year, and it was still fine, I don't care about the delay, nor even think about it, this same thing will happen with HL2. We will have the game and that is all that will matter.
My point is, I trust that Valve knows what they're doing, and I do admit as an overly-obsessed fanboy that Valve did mess up. We can just wait, and hope.

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Well, quite alot of information here, and still going.

Now for my point: I trust Valve that they know what they're doing, and indeed they would have released the game earlier if they did it entirly for money, don't gimme that business crap. They want (and have) a good reputation

Yes, and people can live on a good reputation and fan support. Businesses continue when they're not making a profit... After all, it is a charity.

Don't give me that sentimental crap. They'll milk every last cent out of the franchise... no doubt. When Valve makes HL2 freeware, I'll believe you that they're not in it for the money. It's entirely possible that they didn't release it earlier because Steam wasn't ready. And if you think Steam isn't a plan to maximize profits... then, you're blind.

And you really think Valve has a great reputation for contact with their fans at the moment? Look at the name of the thread you're in...

 

[Crusader]

Not taking sides here, but you guys seem to forget that Valve need to pay wages to keep their team, and 5 years is a long time to be paying wages for a large team. Certainly they want to make money from the game, but when they could have bought themselves ferraris after HL2, they instead plugged that money into HL2. Also HL2 is not the only game they have/are working on. Valve are also a private company and so do not float on the stock market, meaning that their stock price will not be effected by poor profits etc.

No real opinion there, just something that needed stating.

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Not taking sides here, but you guys seem to forget that Valve need to pay wages to keep their team, and 5 years is a long time to be paying wages for a large team. Certainly they want to make money from the game, but when they could have bought themselves ferraris after HL2, they instead plugged that money into HL2. Also HL2 is not the only game they have/are working on. Valve are also a private company and so do not float on the stock market, meaning that their stock price will not be effected by poor profits etc.

No real opinion there, just something that needed stating.

I don't think Valve are living like paupers after HL1. There was plenty of money to go straight into HL2, plenty to go into their high performance sports cars as well...

 

[Crusader]

I don't think Gabe would fit into a high performance sports car to be honest.

Also, when they sell a game, they don't know how many will sell... You can't expect them to send the money back once they start making more money than it cost them to make the game. Thirdly, I think they deserve to not be living like paupers if they made the most popular computer game in history.

Of course they want to make lots of money, who wouldn't? But what some of these people are trying to say, is that if they only cared about profits, they wouldn't have delayed the game to improve it (assuming it was actually in any state to be released) they'd have just released it and raked all the money in off the hype.

Conversely, they could just be making sure the game is really good so that they continue to make a profit off it for years and years ;-)

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Conversely, they could just be making sure the game is really good so that they continue to make a profit off it for years and years ;-)

Sounds pretty damn likely to me. :E

 

[The Dark Elf]

Can we cut down the insulting comments about his weight please, cheers.

 

[mayro]

Ya, im Fat and well... on atkins.... being over weight sucks. No one should be made fun of for a problem that is harder to control than anything else.... food is legal you know.

Anywho as for valve and the half-life 2 thing im not as pissed about them missing dates all the time.... i want to know where the BENCHMARK IS THAT THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF FINILIZEING LIKE 5 MONTHS AGO.... and also the sdk. Now im sure them changeing stuff the hacker got ahold of doesnt effect the benchmark in any way. So why doesnt valve speak? Why doesnt valve do something besides letting vevindi sit their and go... Uhhh listen to fragmaster and us becuase we know more than the people makeing the game.

GABE NEWELL PLEASE SPEAK!

 

[Crusader]

Well, I think it was most likely true... it wasn't an insult.. If someone said to me 'you can't reach the moon' I'd agree with them. Who said it was his weight anyway? He's pretty tall and tall people find it hard to fit into HP sports cars, I should know... People's minds running away with them again...

 

[mayro]

Actually if you read all over the form people have been makeing fun of his weight alot recently... its not right...

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Ya, im Fat and well... on atkins.... being over weight sucks. No one should be made fun of for a problem that is harder to control than anything else.... food is legal you know.

Really, quantity of food doesn't have a great bearing on things... It's more about genetic predisposition... Everybody has a different body shape for a reason - where their ancestors lived and in what conditions contributes to matters. It's a lot harder for some people to lose weight than it is for others... Regular exercise helps a lot too...

But damn... I should be exercising but it's so HOT here in Brisbane at the moment... Walking outside an airconditioned room is like a joke... It's 41 degrees celcius at the moment. I'm waiting to lose power when something melts... heh.

 

[Crusader]

To be honest I was making the comment that he's generally a big guy, even if it was all muscle I'd still struggle to see him in a sports car, and there's no shame in being a big guy...
Weight isn't really something to make jokes about, it carries alot of health problems with it and is very difficult to control, I have rather the opposite problem, I need to weigh more to fit my lanky frame.. it is damn hard to change your weight, I eat like a pig and nothing happens...

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Well, I think it was most likely true... it wasn't an insult.. If someone said to me 'you can't reach the moon' I'd agree with them. Who said it was his weight anyway? He's pretty tall and tall people find it hard to fit into HP sports cars, I should know... People's minds running away with them again...

Ahahahahaha... that was a pretty pathetic cover up right there. :cheese:

 

[Crusader]

It's not a cover up, I just wondered why everyone jumped to the conclusion I was speaking of his weight. Are you all thinking it or something?

 

[The Dark Elf]

It's not a cover up, I just wondered why everyone jumped to the conclusion I was speaking of his weight. Are you all thinking it or something?

Why do you immediately think i was talking to you? Only someone with a reason to would think that.

 

[Non-Sequitur]

Weight isn't really something to make jokes about, it carries alot of health problems with it and is very difficult to control

Not just physical but psychological problems as well. It tends to wear down motivation to get out there and lose weight when people are giggling behind your back.

Still, when somebody feels the need to point out someone else's physical shape, they're usually trying to draw attention from themselves... make themselves feel better about their own problems.

 

[Crusader]

Tou'che. I saw that one coming a mile off, that was always the flaw...

However the fact it was nearly directly under the only post I'd read that mentioned anything to do with Gabe's physical structure helped

-

Funny, half the world is trying to lose weight, and half of it is trying to gain some.

 

[Non-Sequitur]

I think the point that this thread has eventually come to is... Gabe doesn't have to worry about his physical appearance because he's gonna make a LOAD of cash off HL2 and if anyone insults him about it, he can just flash his overweight wallet. :dork:

 

[WhiteBoy]

On the weight matter, me finally realizing I was over weight made me want to change. The talk about me and that fact that I couldn't get a Girl friend caused me to want to get in shape, and thats what happened. I am not saying it's good to nag somone about their weight, but it isn't the worst thing ever.

 

[Non-Sequitur]

On the weight matter, me finally realizing I was over weight made me want to change.

I think you're a rare case... Most overweight people know they're overweight. They don't need to be reminded about it everyday by people who have no idea what they're talking about...

 

[wonkers]

Not that I will poke fat people with a stick and run, but I have no sympathy for the overweight. It's a matter of life style. You can't tell me that somepeople magicaly turn minor amounts of food into super energy. If I eat a hambuger it's a certain amount of energy. If an overweight person from youth eats it you can't say that some how they GET MORE ENERGY out of it than I did.

People today are overweight because they simply don't exercise and they overeat. I was of moderate size and I decided to workout to gain muscle mass. It's harder to make muscle than lose weight because I have done both. And concerning Gabe not caring that he's fat because he makes a lot of money, it's just another form of power. If I am well built, that's a plus over someone who is overweight which is a negitive. If someone make more money than me they have power over me.

Simple. If your fat work out you'll love it. It's better to get thin before some effects become permanent (like stretched skin). If you want money get a job.

[life isn't complicated, people are just stupid]

 

[Non-Sequitur]

[life isn't complicated, people are just stupid]

Yes, and if you think there are no genetic factors in weight gain... then you can join the ranks of "stupid people".

 

[Hudson]

i dislike valve mostly because they fudged day of defeat. lets not get into that because I could freakin type an essay on it. however youve gotta respect the skills its taken to create HL2

 

[Mr-Fusion]

i dislike valve mostly because they fudged day of defeat. lets not get into that because I could freakin type an essay on it. however youve gotta respect the skills its taken to create HL2

Yeah Day of Defeat went down the crapper.

I'm not sure why they removed all the good maps and destroyed the frames per second. Strange decisions indeed!

And deathcam! Oh dear....who ever first thought up the idea of deathcam should disembowled.

 

[Gossoon]

Ah, nothing better than a good rant thread. It clears the spleen after a long day. If we could only stop veering off topic and stay on the rant...

I would just like to address the defense a lot of people make for valve in terms of their information blackout, ie "They don't want to spoil the game for you. Don't you know that Gabe has been canonized by the pope? He's a SAINT."
Right, well, I think what most people are bitching about is NOt the lack of plot info - no one in their right mind really wants to know that. But what we would like to know is the general status of the game, why it was really delayed, and when it will be released. In short, information that we have cause to expect, being supportive consumers of their occasional products.

 

[Styloid]

No, I don't think that they owe it to us to report on the status of their game. It's just human to not want someone breathing down our neck while we work, watching everything we do. It's kind of like an insecurity. I know that if I'm working on a project, I like to reveal everything only when it's finished which is what Valve were intending to do (but obviously things in this particular industry don't happen so smoothly). I empathize with them so I don't really have any negative feelings toward them.

 

[Gossoon]

They brought this upon themselves.
You know it.
I know it.
The American people know it.

 

[Styloid]

They brought this upon themselves.
You know it.
I know it.
The American people know it.

Yeah.. I guess I 'know it' since I said it was *their* insecurity and desire to give people everything at once that is the cause for the lack of information. I'm just not going to hold it against them.

 

[peoplesuc]

To plan your life around a piece of entertainment, no matter how good it might be, is not a wise choice. I've done so with the Matrix sequels and I've learned from it.

What if the hackers got the full game and decided to only release 50-75% of it. What if the other 25-50% is released a week before the summer due date? How pissed would Valve be? Is it a really great PR stunt to file a false report of grand theft to the authority that includes the FBI? Hell no. Some jackass halfway around the world stole bytes that are worth more then gold and consumers are whining that somehow it was all planned to give developers more time to polish up. What a bunch of idiots that serve up a majority of the consumer base. Get a life. Then get Half Life 2 when it's fit to be released.

At least this isn't Duke Nukem Forever. What a joke that game turned out to be. Seven years of development and they still can't decide what decade to release the game in. At least in Half Life 2's case there is substantial proof that it exists.

Everbody thinks that it's SOOOO EASY to fix compromised code. If you feel that way then offer your skills to Valve and see how fast they are willing to accept.

 

[jet jaguar]

The 'compromised code' almost certainly is not the reason for the delay. I think that HL2 was indeed set to be released on 9/30 but Steam was simply not anywhere near ready to handle the immense traffic. Why not release HL2 via retail then? Because Steam is capable of making almost 300% more profit, that's why. If HL2 were released via retail only, Valve would lose it's one opportunity to REALLY cash in on the biggest pc game release in history. Hasn't anyone wondered why CS:CZ is still nowhere to be seen even though it went gold back in late November? The fact that they just recently hired the bit torrents author to help with Steam leads me to think that Steam is still a long ways from being commercially viable. I wouldn't expect to see HL2 for atleast another 6 months, unless Gabe throws his arms up and gives up on Steam - that won't happen.

 

[umop]

Can we cut down the insulting comments about his weight please, cheers.

I was thinking the same thing. That's just thoughtless... if you were in Gabe's shoes would you have fun knowing people senselessly make fun of you all the time? I mean seriously... think about it for a while on a personal level.

Decency is rare enough these days... :dozey:

 

[mbrithoms]

The 'beta' build pre dates E3, anyone and their grandmother knows this, so point 3 is utter drivel. :dozey:

your talking rubbish Ive seen some screens of the beta and its dated 4 or 3 days before september 30th so valve lied, accept that cant stand these people in denial. The game is not 'delayed' there still making it

 

[Sparta]

Dude, the hacker got that build before those "3 or 4 days before Sept 30th", someone changed the dates in the build to make it look like that

 

[Kadayi]

Did I say the pre-E3 build was all they had in September?

I'm sure they had those E3 levels completed... I meant the rest of the game would have been nowhere near complete. Meaning... AI and physics... and the rest of the levels.

So if you aren't referring to the beta, how exactly are you coming to your conclusions, what facts are you using? Please explain your means of deduction? I'll add in a few factual titbits for you to consider along the way as I have the beta as a reference:-

1) The beta has working AI.

2)The beta has working physics.

3)The beta contains a lot more than just the E3 levels.

4)There are pre E3 ingame screenshots that exist that show game levels that aren't contained in the beta.

Explain away :dozey:

 

[Kadayi]

your talking rubbish Ive seen some screens of the beta and its dated 4 or 3 days before september 30th so valve lied, accept that cant stand these people in denial. The game is not 'delayed' there still making it

You've seen screens, where as I actually have the the beta? Whose in a better position to judge? The E3 levels in the beta are inconsistent with those show at E3 in certain respects and lack certain elements that are clearly in the movies. If you had the beta you would know that it clearly pre dates the E3 by some considerable time. The only one who 'lied' (to use such quaint infantile terminology) is ANON about what he had, the 'beta' should really be called the 'alpha' to give it a more accurate description.

It boggles my mind to think that people continue to believe the word of a guy who actually hacked Valve and maliciously released the actual game engine source code onto the net. I'm not referring to the 'beta' here (that came after), I'm referring to the proprietary engine code, which contains all of the programming work that Valve have put into the source engine.

Incidently, it's 'they are' or 'they're' not 'there'

 

[ComradeBadger]

God I love these threads.

They make my moderating day :hmph:

 

[PvtRyan]

I can make this short: well...... screw you too!

 

[Saiboat]

Valve isn't pumping this game out for their love of money, and I think they would finish up the game if they weren't getting any money from it. Have you even watched any of the interviews yet? If they loved money so much they wouldn't be game developers

Sorry, but where can I watch those interviews?

 

[Wilco]

Sorry, but where can I watch those interviews?

Well, if you want to get techinical, looking at a screen is watching it, so when you look at a screen containing the transcript of an interview, you are watching it.

pedantic rant over