HL: Alyx announcement trailer

[Vaapukka]

Well there it is.

 

[Vaapukka]

Immediate thoughts: the graphics and the art style are definitely outstanding, and it's amazing to see many of these designs back. Objects in the game world also look incredibly interactable, it's clear that immersion is the name of the game. Great to hear that Merle Dandridge is back. I'm still worried about how the VR side of things will actually work out in practice, however.

 

[Solver]

Seeing a new HL trailer 12 years after playing Episode 2 is absolutely surreal. It's a good 6 or 7 years since I gave up on seeing another Half-Life.

Not surprisingly, the visuals are outstanding. The style and art direction are instantly recognizable from HL2, but with modern quality. Absolutely no surprises there.

They're clearly going for an immersive experience, and making heavy use of VR features. Definitely looks like finger tracking is used for hacking minigames, throwing objects, rummaging in shelves and more. Shooting mechanics seem to leverage leaning and body positioning. The website says it's compatible with trigger-style controllers, but it definitely feels like the experience deteriorates if you're not using Valve's controller.

Very interesting that they implemented three movement systems in the game, a great approach to deal with motion sickness, letting people choose whatever works for them.

 

[MFL]

*cracks knuckles*
It's been a long time.
Let's do this.

New combine soldier:

Planning session, teacup, Resistance member w/ gasmask:

Squad of four Combine soldiers in City 17 engaging target offscreen to the left. Note the backpack apparatus.

Our old friend the railway system, shuffling everyone off to their own personal resonance cascades and saline solution re-education lectures.

Nice environmental shot showcasing the headcrabs. Of particular note here is their newfound ability to crawl on vertical surfaces (hard to make out on this shot, but he's on the wall in the lower left corner.

Prominent scientist and future worm-food, Eli Vance.

Side view of the new firearm from the cabinet scene. Familiar shade of orange.

Rear view of the firearm as it is being loaded. Note the ammo counter at the rear of the receiver. Also, the first image of the right hand glove apparatus.

Contrary to what I had previously believed, it's not that each cartridge holds 2 shots, she grabbed two cartridges and loaded them at the same time. Also, inexplicably, Scout bobblehead on the cabinet.

Clear view of the left hand glove apparatus. Prominent health counter at the base of the wrist, flashlight to the left.

*stares at subway poster on the right hand side* How bout you go **** yourself?
Addendum: USP

Have to run for now, more later.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

Me, to the valvetime.net staff who still need to write a news post: "Bout that time, eh, chaps?"

 

[Higlac]

I am fully erect.

 

[Lizardizzle]

Me, to the valvetime.net staff who still need to write a news post: "Bout that time, eh, chaps?"

Righto.

There's just too much to take in. I can't just focus on one thing. Not during a short lunch break. Whewwwwww. Holy shit.

 

[Naudian]

Sweet gloves.

 

[Wanted Bob]

As others have said, the graphics look gorgeous. The short "gameplay" clips looked pretty cool (like how "solid" the world looks), but I'm hoping we see longer uninterrupted footage at the VGAs.

 

[MFL]

Continued:

Clear view of the new critter at the beginning of the trailer. Definitely not a regular headcrab, easier to tell when watching the video. Looks like a blanket with a stinger.

Another shot of the blanketcrab, prominent view of the stinger. Also of note is a large seemingly organic mass that has globbed up against the side of the stairwell. And bucket.

A centerpiece of the trailer, a new form of the familiar Strider Synth. Of particular note are the hydraulics attached to the legs to support the triangular platform on top of the Strider, manned by one Combine soldier and equipped with one pulse turret at the fore corner. Also, this Strider does not appear to have the typical undercarriage pulse cannon.

First shot of the Citadel under construction, which I suppose finally puts to rest the old idea that the Citadels were teleported in. A multitude of what are seemingly power cables leading towards the construction site. Also, a platform Strider standing up in the city towards the bottom of the image.

First shot of (what I am at this time calling) the Combine ship. Rear view. A closer look at the previously mentioned power lines. Green lightning is always a good omen in the Half-Life continuity.

Here we can see a hand-held tool that will scan electrical systems, present how power is flowing, and can presumably be used to troubleshoot and debug issues with said systems. At this point I am assuming that blue means good, and yellow means broke. As the clip progresses, the tool toggles the orange switch to complete the circuit to the power box on the left hand side.

Nothing too subtle for the Combine. It's a big ole drill. Period spacebar.

Our new friend from the planning session clip earlier. Not entirely sure if what he is wearing is a gasmask or some sort of gasmask-hoodie-hybrid. That's fashion, baby. Also, apparently voiced by a member of Flight of the Concords.

Clearer view of both of the hand UI's at the same time, along with what appear to be dual "receptacles" from which the hands were being withdrawn during the clip.

A shot of the right hand glove apparatus as it is activated. Functionality appears reminiscent of the zero-point energy field manipulator, with the additional feature of highlighting whatever it is currently interacting with in the world. Re: picking shit up.

Further analysis of the RH apparatus. Not quite like the ZPE. Note the orange UI element, notifying you what you are interacting with. The tool levitates the object to the correct orientation for the hand to grab.

A shot of the magazine for the previously lobbed firearm.

A LOT to take in on this frame.
- Some sort of charging station, with a receptacle full of some sort of alien grub. Not certain as to the exact taxonomy at this time, but the mouth/mandibles look antlion to me.
- EDIT: NOPE, HEADCRAB ZOMBIE. [STRIKE]CREEPY SYNTH IN THE WINDOW. It MIGHT be a Hunter, but it doesn't move like one. It might not even be a synth, it's hard to make out. [/STRIKE]
- Low health warning on the LH glove UI.
- Ammo counter on the LH glove UI, that isn't 0 for once.
- Hand interface on the console, more on that in the next image.

An image of the previous hand interface in action. What appear to be a swarm of Combine Wacom pens start emergency hand acupuncture, I'm guessing that this is a health station given Alyx's state. The receptacle begins to either extract from the grub (or convert the grub into) green TMNT ooze.

The previously mentioned TMNT ooze, with the grub, uh, fully and successfully compressed. Also, headcrab zombies.

An illuminated view of the previously mentioned shadow in the subway window. Appears to be a headcrab zombie, but the headcrab... it's ****ing huge. That headcrab is the size of a great dane with the beef of a small bear.
I now know that I will one day have to fight off a bearcrab with a crowbar in VR. I am fully, unconditionally erect.

More weird shit to come, be back in a while.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Oh my god it looks incredible. There's so much packed in here, I noticed the weird glowy headcrab thing with the tail, what looks like a jumpsuited, gasmasked cross between a zombie and a vortigaunt, and is that a snark in the recharge station??

can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait

 

[Solver]

So I'm reaching here, but have to write this prediction down. Here's what David Speyrer from Valve says:

“While it does take place before the events of Half-Life 2, we actually recommend that you play through Half-Life 2: Episode 2 before you play Half-Life: Alyx, for reasons that will become clear as you progress.”

In the trailer, you can hear Eli say "close your eyes, honey". The line is spoken by his new voice actor. Eli said those words moments before his death in Episode Two.

The fact that the line has been re-recorded, coupled with the Valve comment, makes me suspect that HL:A might actually contain a recreation of the Episode Two ending. Perhaps the G-Man showing someone a glimpse of the future, similar to his speech in Ep2?

 

[MFL]

Oh god, I just realized. We're about to start this whole dance again.
*watches the dark clouds on the horizon, looming*
G-Man theories ahoy, me hearties. Yo ho.

@TechnoHippyChic
- Not certain, I think it's a little too thicc for a snark. The mouth/mandible bits remind me more of antlion physiology, but we already know what their grubs look like, putting aside for the moment the reality that they can update models whenever they want.
- Also, there is a LOT to take in from that frame. (sorry for reposting this one, but it is kinda dense and I think it's worth posting twice)

 

[Lizardizzle]

The antlion grubs would heal you in EP 2, genius to use them as the health station. Awesome.

 

[MFL]

Part 3, I suppose.

Headcrab zombie busting through a wall. Of interest for us here is a better view of the organic masses down the tunnel. Rendering-wise, it's nice to see further advancement in their dynamic physics sims and what appear to be volumetric smoke simulations rendering w/ respect to the physical interaction (re: zombie busts wall, wall emits smoke w/ particular velocity and restitution).

Beginning of the cabinet scene. Interesting alien flora along the right hand side of the hallway the Combine are walking through.

This could be a regular soldier at the end of the cabinet scene, but I'm not sure. The weapon that he is wielding looks slightly different from the others. Again, not sure, I could use some help with this one.

A lovely shot of the underside of a typical Strider scrote. I think they might have updated the connective scrote/plasma-cannon tissue, but I'm not sure. Also neat particle effects in this shot, particulate suspension sparklies.

And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is Xen flora. Light Stalks in the new age.

Better shot of the angry stalk in the background.

I have absolutely no ****ing idea.

Gotta run for now, last update should be up later.

 

[Krynn72]

Hello old friends! I have to agree with how it feels surreal to see a new half life trailer.

I knew when valve was making their own VR set up that they'd use it to push gaming boundaries with a half life game. They used Half Life 2 to push physics engines and it changed gaming it a massive way. If they want VR to succeed then they needed to do it again.

I actually bought an Index setup predicting this, and I didn't want to get stuck without one if they started selling out. I've hardly used it but I'm totally ready for this game now.

I have to say, I haven't been this excited for a game in ages, probably not since Half Life 2 itself.

Thanks @MFL for the breakdowns, loving this stuff.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Hey Krynnster! Yes the hype is palpable, feels like 2003 again!

 

[MFL]

Should be the last dump:

Not a lot of information in this shot, but I really enjoy the composition so I'm going to post it.

Your guess is as good as mine, here. Another interface system for the previous circuit tool? Those network nodes look suspiciously like stars, but I'm not going to speculate further.

Reach out and touch somebody. It looks like we have a pick-pocketing mini-game on our hand. Alyx here is using the RH glove apparatus to get something off that Combine soldiers hip.

Object in transit after the yank.

Close up view of the object in hand.

Yeah, that's probably a grenade.

More headcrab zombies, with the addition of a new kind of spikeyboi on the right hand side. Also, I'm not sure what Alyx is holding in this frame. It looks like a gun, but has some sort of attachment on the right hand side.

This poor fungus man seems to have been thoroughly barnacled.

Two of the more intriguing members of the new HL crew, a new lightning headcrab zombie with requisite gaping chest wound in center frame, and a new Combine soldier type dead to the bottom left sporting a bright yellow rubber jumper.

Updated antlion textures and models.

Flippity flappity, he's coming for your bippidy bappidy. Note the limb removal.

First full frame shot of the Combine ship.

[REDACTED]

 

[Lizardizzle]

That's awesome, Krynn. I hope you enjoy your vr kit. Let me know if you get tired of it, I'll take it off your hands and deal with, er, disposal.

Definitely have been planning my budget around getting vr in some way these past years, and today had only solidified those plans. Makes me wonder if valve ever plans a discount, but in reality I don't think they would since they already have the pre-2019 order bonusbstuff planned out. People would flip out if they paid for the indee now only to have it heavily discounted just before Alyx's release.

 

[Darkside55]

At last.

 

[Russian Mafia]

It's awesome to see Valve back to making groundbreaking advancements in single player gaming!
They finally gave me a compelling reason to buy an Index, so props to them.

 

[Lizardizzle]

At last.

Rescued at last! Thank God you're here!

 

[MFL]

Current Analysis:
The weapon is Gordon. And/or access to the G-Man's stable. End of HL2 implies as much.

The "Vault" is most likely the ship. Then again, it could be... y'know.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I just want everyone to know I'm responsible for this and also for a lack of something else...
I decided to play some more HL2 recently with what sounds like a crazy goal, to beat it on hard mode without dying.
I beat it twice as such but not one more.

 

[Krynn72]

It is also awesome to see the OG HL2.net crew coming back. Funny how so many thought to return to the site upon seeing the trailer.

If Cpt. Stern shows up I'll buy him an Index Headset. Show me you're still alive old man!

 

[Lizardizzle]

We didn't return, we were awoken

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

We didn't return, we were awoken

"So wake up, Mszz. Vance... wake up and, smell the Rebellion..."

 

[MFL]

The more that I look at the ship, the more I think that it might not necessarily be a ship at all.
I think it might be a giant cell-phone tower or 802.11 router.

 

[Rengarious]

I refuse to believe that this is real. Someone please fly down to Miami and pinch me and wake me up from this dream.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

It's virtually real You'll be able to pinch yourself with the grabbity gloves, and stay inside the dream forever..

 

[Rengarious]

It's virtually real You'll be able to pinch yourself with the grabbity gloves, and stay inside the dream forever..

You know what I realized my dude? With the Source 2 SDK tools that they're promising you realize that someone will be able to recreate half life, half life 2, ep 1 and ep2 in VR right with all this new interactive and visual fidelity? Omg. Jizz.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Yeah, that's gonna open up all kinds of new possibilities, excited to see what people come up with.

 

[Yatta]

This site exploded in 2003. I was there.
Will it happen when for Alyx? I feel not. Times are different
It was so exciting here back in the day

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Hi Yatta! Maybe not to the same degree, but it's already brought back people who have been gone for years, such as yourself

I don't know if it's really sunk in yet for a lot of folks. As we get more info and closer to release, there should be a lot of activity.

 

[Yatta]

Hi! Yes it's true, but with the rise of Steam forum and Reddit, it's harder. It was so exciting back in the day. Steam was in its infancy and we would all ogle on these forums when a new Bink video would be released. Do you remember they'd release those 100mb Bink videos that showed parts of the game in full screen? Man those were so cool back in the day. I remember there were like 5000 people online on here at the same time back in the vBulletin days.

Then there's the time I was disciplined for posting pics from the HL2 Beta leak, and that's how I lost my original registration date of May 2003--basically my account lost all posts and the registration date was updated to the date of discipline. lol

Good times.

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Oh yes, I remember the binks! Hype level 9001! I know what you mean about reddit and such, but those sites seem so impersonal. This place just feels like home.​

 

[Shem]

God, this is so surreal. I didn't even realize some of you existed, and yet there are people like Yatta and TechnoHippyChic (I think I remember you, the latter) from 2003. Good to see you all again, honestly. I posted already in the thread in the Lounge (the only active one, I think) about how you influenced my writing style immensely: you have to remember that, as you all were cognitively maximized (i.e. your brains were bigger and more furrowed than mine at the time), you impressed upon me the grammar, the syntax, the kind of language that I would go on to use throughout elementary, middle and high school. Again, some of your avatars are absolutely ingrained in my subconscious psyche to the extent that I, at random and without my having intended, will get flashbacks of your names, your posts, and your avatars. Vegeta is forever the terpsichorean figure in a beanie (and, correspondingly, the nerd bouncing on a trampoline [and who had a sister]); Stigmata, the one who learned me what stigma was; Samon, the Daffy Duck avatar; Yorick, who obviously was an English major and had read Hamlet (see Act V, scene one); Krynn, the dog; Darkside, the elfish redeyed fellow who drank the Loco drink; kinaesthetic, who was smooth, sharp, and New Zealandian (and hated me); BadHat, the other New Zealander (who also seemed rather eloquent).

 

[Shem]

O yeah and Ennui: the dude with the brain-neuron-synapses avatar who, many years later, made me look up what ennui actually meant (for, like, ten years I just associated that exact word with him without ever actually knowing what it signified [and even though I know it means exhaustion or lassitude I still think of his avatar when I hear the word])

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

Hey Shem! Great to see you and everybody coming back. I've just been beaming with joy since the announcement, both for Half-Life and the community stirring up again.

I'm a fan of language as well. I happened to know the meaning of ennui before this site (I think I first heard it from Tom Servo on MST3K) but I'm the same, just can't hear or see the word without thinking of him. A permanent memory.

 

[Shem]

Hi THC: I know, language is rather wonderful, isn't it (to the extent that, really, it's all we have!). I only wish I had been old enough to have talked with you guys circa 2003/2004 but, I suppose, I do cherish having still a semblance of youth. Regardless, it's good to be back (whatever "back" means, and, for the most part, however long one presupposes I'll be here) and I will be probably intermittently peering into this little museum for updates (if not for nostalgic purposes).