HL2 to be Letterbox only?

[nighttrain]

Letterbox is wider POV, of course it is better! who wants half a picture?

 

[Dr.Sbaitso]

OMG you people are retarded, i hear some of you going oh well letterbox (i never called it that i have always called it widescreen) is okay as if that is the only mode you can play it in. Valve is not that stupid. The sole purpose of that mode i imagine is for people with wide screen tv's (do they make wide screen monitors? not sure) just like its an option in the GTA games. I can GUARANTEE you that that is not the only mode to play the game in and if you think other wise then you are a retard.

 

[SFA]

I will definetely be playing in widescreen mode. On my 4:3 monitor.

I just don't understand it when people say 'what's the point of having black bars at the top and bottom? You're just wasting space'.

That's not the point FFS. Widescreen makes everything seem more cinematic and epic in both scope and feel.

Try watching Lord of the Rings or Star Wars or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in full screen. Uchhhhh. Its very bad. I mean, in the Fellowship of the Ring, when the fellowship line up at the Council of Elrond for the first time, in the widescreen mode it looks good, but in f***** full screen you don't bloody see the guys on the far left and right.


I am an amateur film-maker. We always make films in widescreen. Why? Because subconciously us humans associate film with a widescreen aspect ratio and TV/documentries with full screen.

I honestly belive that HL2 will be a more epic and 'film like' experience in widescreen/letterbox mode.

So stop it with the 'black bars' nonsense - its how WE SEE IN REAL LIFE. Deal with it.

 

[Guest]

Exactly, nice to see someone else who appreciates the beauty of widescreen. And shares my taste in movies GBU is one of the greatest films ever made.

 

[SFA]

You got that right man!

I only realised the true beauty of GBU when I saw it on DVD. The TV only showed it in full screen and to be honest, in retrospect, it lost a lot of its power and epic qualities because of it.

Glad to see HL2 has a widescreen option! Just makes the wait all the more agonising!

 

[Guest]

who cares, not me, as long as its a good game

 

[Guest]

Yeah I got the DVD of it a year or so ago.
Best score IMO in any movie, and the final showdown between Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Tuco in the cemetary is breathtaking. They dont make em like that anymore thats for sure.

I highly recommend the entire Dollars Trilogy if you havent seen the other 2.

 

[SFA]

I highly recommend the entire Dollars Trilogy if you havent seen the other 2.

I bought the box-set!

Agree 100% on the score too. All three films have fantastic scores and are definetely up there with the greatest scores of all time. Enio Morricone is a genius.

 

[Guest]

Morricone is a god. You should check out Sergio Leones other great Western, which was supposed to be Dollars 4, but Eastwood didnt do it, called Once Upon A Time In The West, another great.

 

[CommieX]

GOING A LITTLE OFF-TOPIC GUYS.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, but this was a pointless thread in the first place, obviously WS will be an option and not the only choice. FS will be default with an option to turn on WS.

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Originally posted by Spiffae
Hi folks, i haven't been posting much but i've been reading. i just saw the latest e-mail from valve, and they confirmed that HL2 will be played in letterbox, just like the direct feed videos. how do we feel about that? it seems like an odd choice to be sure. i'd imagine that people are quickly going to mod that out. what do you think?

hahahaha, they make possably the best game in the world and have have to f*** it up some how

 

[Guest]

How in the hell is that f'ing it up (personally I think its better). Did you even notice those E3 vids weve all been drooling over were letterbox? Anyways itll be an option to have fullscreen or letterbox, this whole thread is a moot point

 

[Ro@cH]

Why do the black bars make it feel more cinematic? Because they're associated with movies. Why are they associated with movies? Because many movies are either shown fixed in wide-screen and most people still have 4:3 TV's. It's all subconscious. And I don't want the game to feel cinematic. Cinematic means as if you're in the cinema, watching a movie with a predetermined plot, that will be the same every time you play it. I want the game to feel as if I'm directly in it myself. 5.1 surround, and a screen so big it takes up my whole FOV. Without black bars.

That said: HL2 will most definately have widescreen as an OPTION

 

[Guest]

Well I dont agree with anything you said, except the last part, it will simply be an option. People around here have been losin it over this, some even stating they wouldnt buy the game if it were WS.

Also, HL2 is like a movie, the plot is pre-determined

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

bleh, i got a 19inch flat screen, it all ready plays things in "letterbox" mode, i dont need any more wideness, and i was replying to number one, if its optional good, if its not... some one will mod it out or something and IF NOT, out the window it goes lmao!!!!

Jokes....... maybe.

 

[MMhardKy]

You get the left and right part cropped if its in 4:3. You see more when its in 16:9. 4:3 is like zooming into 16:9. You have to decide if you want to see everithing, or just zoom into the center of the screen to fit it your 4:3 monitor.

I will play in 16:9 on my 19" monitor (i think 19" is the smallest size for widescreen to look good). But I could imagine the picture would just be too small on smaller monitors. A widesreen display or a 21" monitor would be ideal for 16:9.

 

[Pagy]

sounds neat

I'd play with it on just for a changes