episode 3 announcement on 3/11?

[robsters]

im so gutted i went to bed now only if i waited 10 more mins noooooooooo sounds helrious!!!!

 

[dead again]

I voted yes for March 11, 2011.

 

[AgentXen]

I will not say "Expect HL3" just due to the fact that the time it takes Valve to develop a full on game + Valve Time = full game in 5 years lol

Well to be fair, if they had just Developed Half-Life 3 From the Get-go we would have already be playing HL3 in a brand new next Gen Engine with 50+hours of gameplay. Instead of those Stupid Episodes. Which are basically the same content being rehashed over and over again.
Its been OVER 5 years since HL2 came out...

So i would not be surprised if the Episodic content failed and they abandoned it... CLEARLY that approach is not working.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Clearly?
You mean, in your opinion it isn't working.

 

[Paulaner]

So i would not be surprised if the Episodic content failed and they abandoned it... CLEARLY that approach is not working.

Episodes were funny but Valve itself admitted that the episodic model didn't work as they intended. So, yes, I wish Valve would have worked on a full-length game after HL2. Personal opinion.

 

[Crazy_killer]

Without the episodes we'd still have nothing to play since HL2, this year would be the 5th or 6th year without another HL game.

 

[Naph]

Well to be fair, if they had just Developed Half-Life 3 From the Get-go we would have already be playing HL3 in a brand new next Gen Engine with 50+hours of gameplay. Instead of those Stupid Episodes. Which are basically the same content being rehashed over and over again.
Its been OVER 5 years since HL2 came out...

So i would not be surprised if the Episodic content failed and they abandoned it... CLEARLY that approach is not working.

I had to check, over and over again, to see if this post wasn't from 2007.

 

[AgentXen]

Clearly?
You mean, in your opinion it isn't working.

Its not my opinion, its a fact based on direct information from Valve and the entire purpose of Episodic content. This is the model they pitched us back in 2005.

Can anyone here name the 3 core principle changes in the Episodic Model Valve sold us on?

1. -?
2. -?
3. -? <----Very important

Here is a hint: none of them have been placed in motion since 2005

 

[MacBowes]

I'd say it's worked pretty well. There was a 6 year wait between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, during which time we had nothing to play but Half-Life. Assuming they release this year (my guess is November) they will have released 3 games over the course of the six year period between the release of Half-Life 2 and the completion of the episodes. All the episodes put together are basically the same (probably longer) as a full-length game.

 

[Crazy_killer]

I'd say it's worked pretty well. There was a 6 year wait between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, during which time we had nothing to play but Half-Life. Assuming they release this year (my guess is November) they will have released 3 games over the course of the six year period between the release of Half-Life 2 and the completion of the episodes. All the episodes put together are basically the same (probably longer) as a full-length game.

Yeah, so the episodes weren't so bad after all, Valve managed to release an episode every two years or so with the exception of Episode 3 - but considering Episode 3 is the most important one of the three i'd say it's going to be worth the wait.
I'm kind of hoping for Valve to make an awesome trailer like the Mass Effect 2 launch trailer, many internets would go offline due to an overload of awesomeness.

Link to ME2 launch trailer if anyone is interested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ufADCcdjGI (not licking ass here I don't like ME2 that much)

 

[Krynn72]

Well to be fair, if they had just Developed Half-Life 3 From the Get-go we would have already be playing HL3 in a brand new next Gen Engine with 50+hours of gameplay. Instead of those Stupid Episodes.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[BillNyeGuy]

Well since Valve will be busy Late 2010-Early 2011 with the release of Portal 2...I am wondering what they will do with Episode 3 when it comes out. For such a hyped up game just releasing the episode itself, like they did with Ep 1, might not be as attractive. I am guessing they might add CS 2 with the game and even a improved Source engine, but even then a episode game and multiplayer seems like less content compared to other Late 2011 releases and all this hype.

With the Orange Box it made sense to release the 3 games because neither was a full complete game. Now that Portal 2 is a full length game...its kinda weird that Ep.3 will be released afterwards and have less content with it.

This leads me to believe that maybe it still will be a episode game but will be much longer, detailed, and have more quality to it then we might expect. Essentially a bridge between a episode and a full length game.

 

[Paulaner]

This leads me to believe that maybe it still will be a episode game but will be much longer, detailed, and have more quality to it then we might expect. Essentially a bridge between a episode and a full length game.

I agree. If Ep3 was like Ep1/Ep2 (extensions of HL2) I would be totally disappointed. Only a full-length game, with new assets, brand new content and a revamped engine could justify the waiting. I'm more on the HL3 side.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

I do think it will be a major release (perhaps even a bundle), but I also think there is a high probability they will not drop the episode title unless they have updated the character models to an extent that they have become.... I don't want to say unrecognizable, but obviously majorly altered using new engine dynamics or a simple poly+tex bump.

If not that, what will happen? Will Valve ride the Source train for another 5 years? Unlikely.

 

[Crazy_killer]

I agree. If Ep3 was like Ep1/Ep2 (extensions of HL2) I would be totally disappointed. Only a full-length game, with new assets, brand new content and a revamped engine could justify the waiting. I'm more on the HL3 side.

Usually I would disagree, but seeing as Episode 3 is taking FAR longer to make (we haven't even had any proper news yet) than the other two episodes I'd say something must be going on.

 

[lord_raken]

I think most of us can agree that the game will be named Episode 3, but due to the wait, we are now expecting a game more along the lines of "HL3" scale. (length, upgrades, content, .exe)

 

[rjthrog]

Even though i think its outdated, i have no complaints about the source engine....its still making good games which i still play all the time. I do think that for ep3 they will at least update it significantly, but i wouldn't be suprised if they keep the same source engine for a few more years.

 

[rjthrog]

And i have no complaints about the time because i've loved every game valve has put out and if i've played every game they put out, who am i to complain about how they make a game....or how long.

 

[Acepilotf14]

You have every right, because you have given them money.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Even though i think its outdated, i have no complaints about the source engine....its still making good games which i still play all the time. I do think that for ep3 they will at least update it significantly, but i wouldn't be suprised if they keep the same source engine for a few more years.

I'm actually ok with the Source engine too, but I'm no programmer. I have no idea the extent of how modular it may be or it's limits.
In fact if Episode 3 was not a major release and looked very similar to Ep2 I would be ok with that, but I do know they are considering the risks of releasing another feature title with graphics that look like it could have been done in 2003. I would be.

This is why I think a large change will accompany the next installment, and we may see completely new character/weapon models that will actually take advantage of current hardware.

 

[MacBowes]

I really don't understand how people think they can 'expect' a full-length game because of this so-called 'long wait'. You guys do realize that it took them 6 years to release HL2 after HL1. Those are full length games and that would be the time-frame you would be looking at if that's what you're expecting. I think we can probably expect 7~ hours of gameplay (which, by the way, justifies a $60.00 price tag in my opinion), which would be a pretty solid amount of gameplay for a 3 year development period.

 

[Paulaner]

I think we can probably expect 7~ hours of gameplay (which, by the way, justifies a $60.00 price tag in my opinion), which would be a pretty solid amount of gameplay for a 3 year development period.

7 hours of gameplay for a 3 years development period? A $60.00 price tag? You've gotta be kidding me.

 

[lord_raken]

7 hours of gameplay for a 3 years development period? A $60.00 price tag? You've gotta be kidding me.

How much was Ep1 when it first came out?

 

[MacBowes]

7 hours of gameplay for a 3 years development period? A $60.00 price tag? You've gotta be kidding me.

Nope, I would have gladly paid $60.00 for Portal.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

I have to agree with Mac here. I'd gladly play $60 for Portal 1, and I'd gladly pay $60 for Portal 2. Especially with the inclusion of Co-op, it will make for infinite replayability VIA custom maps!

 

[Paulaner]

In my humble opinion, a 3 years development period is good for something like Dragon Age, or Mass Effect, or Fallout 3. Not for a 7 hours episode.

 

[Story]

In my humble opinion, a 3 years development period is good for something like Dragon Age, or Mass Effect, or Fallout 3. Not for a 7 hours episode.

But do we know Episode 3 will be a 7 hour episode for sure?

 

[Crazy_killer]

But do we know Episode 3 will be a 7 hour episode for sure?

Well if you face the facts it's obvious that they're going to make it 6-7 hours. The previous two episodes had the same amount of playing time, and there is no statement from Valve about Episode 3 being longer.
But then again, this episode is taking MUCH longer than the other two, which would suggest a possibly lolnger game, but that's just speculation.

 

[MacBowes]

Well if you face the facts it's obvious that they're going to make it 6-7 hours. The previous two episodes had the same amount of playing time, and there is no statement from Valve about Episode 3 being longer.
But then again, this episode is taking MUCH longer than the other two, which would suggest a possibly lolnger game, but that's just speculation.

While they didn't directly say that it was going to be longer, they said that it was going to be "more epic".

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

It would have to be, it's the conclusion to this story arc. Even if it was only 6 hours long it would be "more epic".
I wonder if they haven't made a statement yet because they have not even decided what to do with it.