Gabe Newell interview

[synth]

DriverHeaven.net has posted a new interview with Gabe Newell, owner of Valve Software. There are several new things Gabe describes, including an interesting dynamic soundtrack. Gabe describes it:

Gabe Newell: Kelly has been developing the notion of soundscapes, which turn out to be pretty powerful. It's more in the direction of an AI foley artist than a synthesized score. I like what he's done a lot, as the effects seem to disappear in terms of your conscious awareness of sound, and instead you just get the emotional impact of them. That sounds horrendously vague, so I'll try to give a concrete example. Let's say there's a hole in the ground. Let's say there's a basic set of 3D ambients playing (creaking, procedurally varying wind sounds). As you come up to the hole, there's an entity placed at the bottom of the hole, and when it can see you it fires and says "put the scary low rumbling tone into the mix" and it gets added in. Most of the time people won't be able to tell you "oh, that's when the sound showed up" but they will tell you that things got a lot scarier all of a sudden and they're not sure why. When they jump into a hole, there's a crescendo that gets added in that peaksas they hit the ground. There are blended transistions between ambient scapes, so as you move away from the scary things, the scary sounds become less prominent, and get replaced by more pastoral "let's go explore" sounds.

You can find the rest of the interview here, at DriverHeaven.

 

[Blair]

I'm going to be rash here.


I'm sick of these stupid interviews. Gabe say's this so'n'so is optimised for this graphics card, our engine does this, the sound does that, we're so happy wbout this, garbage!!!

Give something real Valve or don't give us anything! Screens shots, movies, sample sound tracks, model renders. Something real!!!


/end rashness

 

[DaveKap]

Actually I really liked this update. Now I know for a fact that I can create my own Rez mod for HL2! w00t!!!

 

[RandomPING]

I like how he gave the example, "you don't know why but things got a lot more scary" and the "Then it'll go back to the 'lets go explore' feel". You can tell they did some research on pacing and other aspects through the whole production to the extent that he actually thinks about player side experiences.

...damn i'm tired

 

[Murray]

IMO that was a very good read. Hey, it's better than nothing.

 

[RoyaleWithCheese]

Oh well, it's nice to see that Gabe's taking the time to talk to the public. Maybe this means something, maybe it doesn't. But I am slowly regaining my enthusiasm for HL2, and the time between sept 30 and now actually went pretty fast. Only 3 more months w00t!!!

(dunno what I've eaten but it had too many sugar in it I guess)

 

[Brian Damage]

This is a positive development, in my opinion. I like the new info.

 

[kelisis]

Hmm, good read. I still wish Gabe would give us some more info though. :\

 

[PvtRyan]

You guys have the feeling too that soon all this boringness will be over? Not in terms of the game releasing, but just new stuff, Valve starting to talk again etc

Maybe it's just me

 

[Dougy]

Reporter "So Gabe, whens the f*cks hl2 out?"

Gabe "yeah the hole will sound like a hole, then you can go explore stuff"

 

[Mr. Redundant]

Pro:
its good to see Gabe and his team are doing well and (maybe) re-emerging with a little PR.

Con:
the whole interview is .... err..... redundant.
regurgitating the same old stuff we already know.

Im still clinging to the idea that we might have HL2 in december.

...

please?

 

[Lavrik]

I thought it was good i mean he is talking to public some now isnt he? This is 2nd Interview this week.Might be good sign

 

[un om bun]

The best thing we can do is forget about this game, until the moment we can see it right there on the shelves. Cause we do nothing here but torture ourselves.

 

[SubKamran]

It's been 2 months already since Sept 30? Crap. That was fast.

I'll tell you one thing, I'll be playing some kick ass games in the meantime while I wait (see: Beyond Good & Evil, Prince of Persia)

 

[mbrithoms]

forget about HL2, I have

 

[chu]

all I got from the interview was "Blah blah blah"

till we get a release date, I don't care.

 

[Dr. Shim]

I've been playing the halo demo since it came out...

The same map... Over, and over, and over...

Wee!

 

[bgesley426]

I got HALO for free, and the game sucked so bad I wish I got it for less...

"The Steam group is building the UI and VGUI 2, which is incorporated into Half-Life 2."

I didn't know that. I thought HL2 was going to be independant of Steam. Any hoodly doodle I liked the interview. Same old things but its good to have a refresher every now and then.

 

[NeoNight]

Halo was a good game... and shoot I don't really like fps

anyway omg there's a halfe life 2!?!?!?

*this has been another joke of the min*

 

[Aea]

Too many interviews, honestly; way too many :|

 

[Devised_Poly]

... can someone exlpain what this... half life.. 2? is....?


ooooooooh, right. I remember now.

 

[Dr. Shim]

heh

i like the sarcasm.

we can actually do some work now that we're over with looking at half-life 2, at least (for the moment)!

I'll give my right lung if in at the most by January, more information concerning a release is made.

 

[un om bun]

You know what would really piss me off ? Seeing everyone after the release, glorifying the game as if nothing would have happened. And I mean all the disrespect the producers show us.
Not a single word on how the heck things really are at this stage. Only useless little interviews, meant to shut up the hardcore losers who would die before saying anything bad about their lame little obsession...

 

[Dhoco X]

Same opinion un om bun...

And... where's the HACKER ??? THE FBI ?? Bah.... your /\/\0T|-|3r gabe.

 

[etancross]

hmm

he needs to stop giving these interviews and roll his ass back into Valve and get to work on HL2, im sick and tired of excuses and all the smoke screen crap and i want some software.

 

[bgesley426]

You people that complain and bitch piss and moan need to learn in life you have to be patient. Good things come to those who wait. Not flame piss and moan. People are working and are working as hard as they can. Gabe gets tons of emails most likely does tons of work at home as well as his workplace.

For the love of it all... The ENTIRE "INFO FROM VALVE" thread. Most likely the most informative site for HL2 stuff anywhere is the product of VALVE employees having the heart to give you some information about this game. With 26 pages of info there are still tons of mysteries. Its a privaledge to have that info not a right. Be grateful that you have anything at all and mostly be patient.

 

[un om bun]

What ? So you don't feel like us at all ? It's that easy to just sit back and watch all this nonsense going on ?
What we get in "info from Valve" is equal to ZERO. That is my opinion and I'm sure that inside, even you agree with me. We are given only tidbits. And I'm not saying this because I feel that I, personally deserve anything from them, but because it's the way it should be. Every other producer maintains a decent flow of information. That meaning serious information + images (or at least artworks).
I am... let's use a soft word here: unhappy, because we, as a community are... I'll put it in a nice way again: neglected.
That's all.

 

[Dr. Shim]

This'll make a great opera! Just imagine, a huge choir singing about the delay! Ooh, the characters! I wonder if Newell can sing, he could star as himself y'know!

I'll get started on a sketch! It'll be released before Half-Life 2!!

Oh boy, oh boy!

 

[Asus]

Originally posted by un om bun
And I mean all the disrespect the producers show us.

Would you like a pacifier?

Saying they are disrespecting you is like saying that about the next flight you are going to catch.
The plane is late, it got hung up. You won't know have any information except that it is going to be late and won't know anything further until things are clear. You will find out before it shows up. There is no disrespect there.

 

[un om bun]

Oh, really ?
Then what the heck is this ? The game was supposed to be out on the 30th of september. They reassured us about it a hundred times. But in the last moment everything changes and since then, we don't know shite.
I think there's a lot of what you call respect involved in such relations (producer - buyer). Just because they're geniuses in the computer game industry, doesn't mean that they're above us. We're all equal here and if one part lies / or in this case hides precious information , well I call it disrespect. It only happened in the case of Duke Nukem Forever and it kinda sukt, right ? No one cares about that damn game anymore.
Why don't you people admit that you're discontent too, and leave us lamers piss and moan all day long. It's the most fun thing to do until the game ships.