How can mods be finished before the final game is released?

[Netherscourge]

How can mod-makers be finished before the final game is released?

Just wondering. I see alot of mods are being delveoped for HL2 as we speak, many of which are expected to be complete BEFORE HL2 is actually released. How is this possible? Do the developer kits allow mod makers to play through their mods and play-test them? As in fully working games?

Also - what is the point of having them done before HL2 is released? And is Valve keeping the mod makers up-to-date with whatever changes they had to make to the core game beause of the source theft? Surely the mod makers would have to make adjustments in order to keep their mods in working condition with the final HL2 source engine?

Just figured I throw this out here in General because I don't understand alot of the mod-making politics.

Thanks.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Originally posted by Netherscourge
Just wondering. I see alot of mods are being delveoped for HL2 as we speak, many of which are expected to be complete BEFORE HL2 is actually released. How is this possible? Do the developer kits allow mod makers to play through their mods and play-test them? As in fully working games?

Also - what is the point of having them done before HL2 is released? And is Valve keeping the mod makers up-to-date with whatever changes they had to make to the core game beause of the source theft? Surely the mod makers would have to make adjustments in order to keep their mods in working condition with the final HL2 source engine?

Just figured I throw this out here in General because I don't understand alot of the mod-making politics.

Thanks.

No mods are going to be completed before HL2 is out, or for a number of weeks/months after unless they've used the illegal files.. If any mod actually has the official SDK then Valve are helping them along, thats the only way it'll be possible. Other than that, any mods that turn up too soon clearly used the stolen files to help them, in which case they'll probably be contacted by Valve's lawyers at that point, unless they release their mod with no credit going to themselves or ever admitting they made the mod, which would be a bit silly considering all the work thats gone into it

 

[Netherscourge]

Well what are the mods that are referred to on the halflife2.net mainpage?

A Codename: Gordon video has been released. It shows some cool features like bullets, grenades, and the HEV charger. The video is about ten seconds in length and can be found here in BitTorrent and executable format.

According to their website, Codename: Gordon is approximately 96% complete, and should be released far before Half-Life 2.

Is this for the original Half Life?

 

[RoyaleWithCheese]

Codename:Gordon is not a mod, it is a sidescroller flash game made by HL2 fans in Germany

EDIT-LOL I guess you saw it when I posted

 

[Netherscourge]

EDIT - ok I am an idiot

Codename: Gordon is a Flash game - nothing more, or less.


I thought Iit was a HL2 mod. Stupid me

 

[RandomPING]

Is it really written in flash? I was thinking it was probably VB.

 

[SLH]

Originally posted by RandomPING
Is it really written in flash? I was thinking it was probably VB.

Yes, flash. VB would be too slow for a game like that.

 

[theGreenBunny]

Originally posted by SLH
Yes, flash. VB would be too slow for a game like that.

Flash isn't quite the fastest thing ever either, that's why it has somewhat high sys. reqs. (1Ghz cpu) for a 2d game.

The graphics are done in photoshop, the rest in flash I think. Well, you can read about it at their site

 

[The Dark Elf]

Originally posted by Netherscourge
EDIT - ok I am an idiot

Codename: Gordon is a Flash game - nothing more, or less.


I thought Iit was a HL2 mod. Stupid me

lol ahhhh, hehe no worries, i guess to the casual reader it could have been easily mistaken as a HL2 mod. Since its not really HL2 it shouldn't actually be in here anyway, IMO.

Probably be a good idea in future if the creator adds (a macromedia flash game) in the title, or posts it in off-topic.. Would be nice for it to have its own section but as I don't see its popularity lasting long after HL2 is released its probably OTT for that.

I'm looking forward to it all the same though, those little flash platform games can be infuriatingly addictive, the hours I've lost on the cartoon network site with them heheh

 

[Adam]

Actualy, VB is faster than Flash, and infact, you can write the entire game of HL1 in VB and it would still be fast. Remember that Flash uses a scripting language, and VB.net is a fully OOP language. Since the advent of DirectX 7, Visual Basic programs can hook into the DirectX dlls allowing VB apps to make games as complex as any one made in C++. With only a small performance hit that wouldn't really be noticable with todays processors and 3d accelerator cards.

 

[GorgeousOrifice]

Originally posted by Adam
Actualy, VB is faster than Flash, and infact, you can write the entire game of HL1 in VB and it would still be fast. Remember that Flash uses a scripting language, and VB.net is a fully OOP language. Since the advent of DirectX 7, Visual Basic programs can hook into the DirectX dlls allowing VB apps to make games as complex as any one made in C++. With only a small performance hit that wouldn't really be noticable with todays processors and 3d accelerator cards.

This is similar to building a house out of toothpicks. Sure, it's technically possible, and sure, you can make the house habitable, but you'd be a complete moron to try something like it.

 

[dbsynergy]

Originally posted by GorgeousOrifice
This is similar to building a house out of toothpicks. Sure, it's technically possible, and sure, you can make the house habitable, but you'd be a complete moron to try something like it.

:cheers: Well said.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Originally posted by GorgeousOrifice
This is similar to building a house out of toothpicks. Sure, it's technically possible, and sure, you can make the house habitable, but you'd be a complete moron to try something like it.

only here would u get toothpicks related to HL2.. ya isn't life great? :afro: heh

oh well to answer the title of the thread, no mods can't be finished before the final game is released.. even if u use the stolen code.. because if it were possible to gain some popularity from some stolen code, then that popularity would be oh so short lived because of the law and the general knowledge that this mod was created from stolen code.

 

[iamaelephant]

Originally posted by Dr. Freeman
only here would u get toothpicks related to HL2.. ya isn't life great? :afro: heh

oh well to answer the title of the thread, no mods can't be finished before the final game is released.. even if u use the stolen code.. because if it were possible to gain some popularity from some stolen code, then that popularity would be oh so short lived because of the law and the general knowledge that this mod was created from stolen code.

Way to read the whole thread moron :thumbs:

 

[Shuzer]

Originally posted by iamaelephant
Way to read the whole thread moron :thumbs:

Be nice, Freeman's a good guy.. after all, he's the star of HL..

 

[FoB_Ed]

Be nice, Freeman's a good guy.. after all, he's the star of HL..

yeah, and he looks real good in this pic!

 

[clarionhaze]

i think rainbow six was programmed in vb... which was damn good for it's time

‚±‚É‚¿‚í@shuzer
shuzer ‚É‚Ù‚ñ‚¶‚ñ@‚Å‚·‚©B

 

[HybridM]

clarionhaze...no.

Visual Basic is interpreted not compiled, this is a much slower process. Also you are very high up in VB and don't have the ability to really code nice low level algos, everything is wrapped up. That said, Visual Basic is more than capable of something like Half-Life, it's just not efficient and as such C/C++ are used, I have also seen Q3 running in Java and even a Javascript RayTracer.

As a very impressive note, I'm not 100% sure, but I think Railroad Tycoon 2 was entirely Assembly.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Originally posted by iamaelephant
Way to read the whole thread moron :thumbs:

seriously.. u have an attitude problem... how do u know i didn't read the whole thread?! maybe i chose to post what i post because i wanted to?

keep ur shitty attitude to urself yeeeesh

 

[The Dark Elf]

Originally posted by Dr. Freeman
seriously.. u have an attitude problem... how do u know i didn't read the whole thread?! maybe i chose to post what i post because i wanted to?

keep ur shitty attitude to urself yeeeesh

the pair of you knock it off, if you want to bitch at each other do it in private.

 

[Darg]

Originally posted by Fenric1138
the pair of you knock it off, if you want to bitch at each other do it in private.

:x

now we don't get to see them beat the crap out of eachother... :sniper:


ah well...:bounce:

back to the topic I guess... oh wait... it's been answered...

this is a worthless post then :rolling: