Doug Lombardi Interview

[-smash-]

Kikizohttp://www.kikizo.com/ called it an "Episode Two interview," but personally, I think it's a bit well-rounded in terms of all things Valve. Occasionally there is some discussion about EP2, but the interview is more based around the development process that Valve follows. Not a problem, regardless... I'm just waiting for some more damn media!

Kikizo: Cool, let's talk about the physics of Half-Life 2 - this was one of the biggest talking points when it first came out. With things like DirectX 10 and dedicated physics hardware, how could you see things being taken even further with physics - could they be even more integral to gameplay?[br]Lombardi: One of the great things about doing episodic is that we're able to embrace the new hardware as it comes online, and support things such as DX10 as it arrives. And also just by doing more frequent releases, we're able to sort of add on to the gameplay that we're using in physics, more quickly. [...] Episode Two, we're moving to cinematic physics, where objects in the world that are large-scale items such as buildings and what have you, are actually active, physical objects. In Half-Life 2, if we wanted to have a strider attack or blow up a building, it was always a building that you couldn't go into...

So check out the rest at Kikizohttp://games.kikizo.com/features/valve_hl2_interview_apr07_p1.asp.

 

[Harryz]

I mean once upon a time, we had a version of Half-Life 1 running on the Dreamcast that could play against the PC, and since with the Dreamcast, Sega kinda exited the hardware business before we finished, that never came to fruition.

Cool, in some aspects, the Dreamcast was ahead of its time. Although I wasn't a really big Sega fan, its sad to see them exit the console market.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Dreamcast didn't deserve to die. It was just a bit too ahead of it's time and didn't have the support that it needed from developers.

 

[Darkside55]

I really enjoy that picture Kikizo has up there for the interview. It looks like Doug Lombardi is not only going to let Alyx plummet to her death, he's positively giddy about it.

Also, he hints at some juicy stuff. The return to a post-annihilated City 17, a little bit more in the way of the death as he mentions it's a "colleague that you've been with for some time" (and you need only to look at my sig to know the bet I've placed on that one). The G-man response was a good answer, because honestly at this point it might be hard to please everyone who had a theory on him, so they might just leave it blank.

 

[Darkside55]

And shaddup, you eejits. Any more and we'll have to get the spoiler post cremators in here, and I hate dealing with those guys.

 

[Asknoone]

Yeah so I deleted our posts. And now Darkside looks a double idiot. \O/

 

[-smash-]

And shaddup, you eejits. Any more and we'll have to get the spoiler post cremators in here, and I hate dealing with those guys.

Awww, I was just about to tell everyone that this is Mossman's baby daddyhttp://www.cultural-council.org/hibiscusfestival/ronald_mcdonald_jumping.JPG.

 

[Unfocused]

The large scale physics sound nice, but I wish they did something about the enemy AI. Doug, when asked about the AI, started talking about non-combat situations and the AI of your sidekick(s). Of course it's a nice touch but it's not like it takes a lot of time to implement checking what's in your FOV and triggering scripts. It would be nice if the enemies were a bit smarter.

 

[hool10]

Something major is coming guys. I can just feel it. They did 2 interviews of Episode 2 this week. Then the spectacular Left 4 Dead preview. Something is coming! :naughty:

 

[Asuka]

Something major is coming guys. I can just feel it. They did 2 interviews of Episode 2 this week. Then the spectacular Left 4 Dead preview. Something is coming! :naughty:

I ****ING AGREE!!!!

Good interview, but i really would like to know where Valve is going with Tech, dx10, quad core etc.

 

[Glenn the Great]

I'm starting to get the impression that Breen is the colleague who is going to die in this episode. Or at least not be "moving on."

 

[DEATH eVADER]

We have been right all this time

I don't know that we will ever sort of open up and say, you know, here's all the details, "the G-Man is Gordon's father!" or whatever... you know, those types of revelations.

 

[riles]

I'm starting to get the impression that Breen is the colleague who is going to die in this episode. Or at least not be "moving on."

Breen's gone from what I remember. I'm guessing it's a HL1 character (Breen doesn't really count). Darkside has a good bet IMO.

 

[UseAbuse]

nothing new, but still it was a pretty good read.

 

[Robinhood_01]

They talk about better physics but from the videos I've seen things seem to fall apart rather than being broken apart, the same with Crysis, I'd really like to see a physics system which is able to simulate density of objects and how that impacts on the way they break apart.

 

[nexsta]

i have enough of reading interviews, they should just release the damn game, each time i'm looking at the screens, the game is looking older and older...

 

[Robinhood_01]

yep good idea, release an unfinished game that doesn't work properly. Bitch bitch moan moan. A lot of people have to work really hard to make something that's worth playing and nobody wants to release something crap, that only happens when the publisher applies pressure to have it released. Valve doesn't have that constraint so they can take the time to make a game they're truly satisfied with.

 

[Asknoone]

Good job graphics don't make a game. Gameplay is where it counts, and IMO Crysis is the one looking dated in this respect. Bioshock and Episode 2 are pushing the gameplay boundaries in my opinion.

 

[nexsta]

yep good idea, release an unfinished game that doesn't work properly.

yea and santa clause really exist, naive boy

 

[ríomhaire]

When you push a game to release before it's really you get Halo 2 so stop bitching about the damn game not being out.

 

[riles]

yea and santa clause really exist, naive boy

how is his statement naive? and your sarcastic comback doesnt make any sense. If the game was done, we would be playing it right now.