HL2 sneak peak for Steam orderers?

[spitcodfry]

I know this would take Valve some extra time...but seeing as how they're done with the game atm, I bet it wouldn't be that difficult to achieve. What if they allowed those who've ordered the game on Steam the chance to play the first level (trainstation) or couple levels as a sneak peak before we get the whole thing? They could make a special executable or something (OK I don't know anything about programming) that only allows you to play the specified levels, and once you're done it terminates the program.

I know it would be difficult to prevent hackers from splicing the rest of the game into that executable...maybe they could think of something to prevent this though. Yeah, this is kind of a half-assed scenario...Valve is most likely sipping mai tais right now, throwing darts at cardboard cutouts of Master Chief...but I'm sure a lot of fans would be appreciative if they did something like this. What do you all think?

 

[Steve]

it wouldn't be hard, but it would go against their policy of not realeasing official demos. ones that contain actual parts of the game, at least.

 

[WhiteZero]

Extra time? Their working on HL3 now, silly.

 

[Asuka]

I wouldnt like this. I want to sit down and play the whole game through no stops. Wouldnt like it if i played few levels then stoped for 2 weeks.

 

[spitcodfry]

it wouldn't be hard, but it would go against their policy of not realeasing official demos. ones that contain actual parts of the game, at least.

Well it wouldn't really be a demo...since it's part of a larger cache of files already on one's comp. Like I said...'sneak peak'. And it's not like they'll be releasing it over Fileplanet. Only Steam. Plus didn't they release a sneak peak of the original to the gaming press? Can't remember the name of it. Something with Black Mesa in the title I believe. I know, gaming press is one thing. Now should be our turn!

 

[moonkids]

I'd prefer if they just released HL: Source a week or two before HL2.

 

[spitcodfry]

I wouldnt like this. I want to sit down and play the whole game through no stops. Wouldnt like it if i played few levels then stoped for 2 weeks.

Yeah without the manipulator it'd probably torture me.

 

[Homer]

I would at least like a few new videos with stuff we havn't seen yet.

 

[spitcodfry]

I would at least like a few new videos with stuff we havn't seen yet.

At this point the only spoilers I want are the ones I experience...in-game.

 

[YamatoTwinkie]

Plus didn't they release a sneak peak of the original to the gaming press? Can't remember the name of it. Something with Black Mesa in the title I believe. I know, gaming press is one thing. Now should be our turn!

Half-Life: Day One

 

[Steve]

well, i suppose i wouldn't mind something along the lines of Half-life: Uplink, which was a demo that was not part of the actual game. 'course, that was put out AFTER the release of the game, huh?

 

[spitcodfry]

Thanks for that. We need a HL2: Day One.

 

[spitcodfry]

Maybe we could get a shooting gallery level where countless G-Men race back and forth across the screen.

 

[Steve]

there ya go, ha ha! *ping!* *ping!*

 

[spitcodfry]

Get the briefcase for extra points.

 

[SnowBall]

If they did that it might make it too easy to hack the encrypted files.

 

[Tork]

That would be too big of a risk for valve, because you have all those materials in the game, like the models, textures, etc, etc.. They would probably end up hacking it so people could use it for whatever they want Just like the video stress test.

 

[butternuts]

Sure, it might not take them that much time, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of Valve developers are on a nice vacation right now.

After working 70-80 hour weeks for a few months in crunch time, you're usually pretty burned out.

 

[spitcodfry]

That would to big of a risk for valve, because you have all those materials in the game, like the models, textures, etc, etc.. They would probably end up hacking it so people could use it for whatever they want Just like the video stress test.

What happened with the stress test? People just start incorporating all the elements in there for modding stuff?

 

[City17Citizen01]

I would at least like a few new videos with stuff we havn't seen yet.

At the rate this and other fourms run at it's hard not to learn something new everyday. Like today, about ten mins ago I learned that Dog can flip over vechiles and that indeed the manipulator can be used on cars in some instances. However, scince there is a fanboy for every game that knows the info even before the developer knows it nothing is really new to anyone other than the person who hasn't seen it before.

 

[Tork]

What they did was edit the stress test so you can run around in it, but that was just a stress test, imagine what they would do had it been like a first level or something for hl2. My guess is that it would be hacked to bits for whatever reason, for example you would be able to load any map with all the hl2 weapons and stuff, they would also probably end up using the material/models to rearange things and make their own maps. I dont know too much about it but im guessing something like this would happen with it.

 

[ne0_shiny]

i would rather they release a demo on steam
with a level not on hl2
no spoiling for me because when i do play the game the first time
the magic of that part that was in the demo isnt there...

 

[spitcodfry]

I wonder if Valve have multiple encryption methods for the game files. Perhaps they could apply a completely different one just to the amount of files used for the sneak peak level? That way the other game files would be in a different encryption format and it wouldn't allow the loading of anything.