How I would solve the Half-Life 3 vs HL2 Episodes debacle

[JUL3]

I know how much the ol' folks on this forum hate multiple threads about the same thing, so I've been searching thoroughly & haven't found this anywhere else.

Anyway, back on topic.
I think that after Episode Three is released VALVe should take each episode & cut off the credits & recap openings & just have it as one big playthrough, then release it as Half-Life 3, then focus on Half-Life 4.

What do you think?

 

[darkeye]

The first questions which pops into my head is: why? and why call it Half-Life 3?

yes, I would like to have it, but again, why would Valve bother?

 

[Link]

I wonder how hard it would be to make a mod to do this?

 

[kupocake]

I doubt they'll bother. It would be 'neat' on some level, but there is no benefit from stitching the games together. And they certainly won't compound the brand confusion the series suffers from by renaming the episodes to what they should have been called all along.

I wonder how hard it would be to make a mod to do this?

There's a mod that brings Half-Life 2 more in line with the visual quality of the console versions (HDR lighting, that kind of thing), and the download basically includes a new version of every single map in the game. I'm not sure that the changes in the Orange Box version of Source would warrant that level of overhaul in Episode Two, but Episode Three is an unknown substance. I suspect it's a task most would judge to be a lot of effort for little payback, but then I'd have probably said the same of the aforementioned Half-Life 2 HDR mod.

 

[Adabiviak]

I don't see Valve taking the time do do this, but maybe a mod. As a fan though, I'd hit it - it would make for an extra level of immersion when replaying the entire series in a marathon (and you all know it's on your list of things to do sometime).

 

[robsters]

nah just bring out episode 3 on the old source and get it over with!!! And then pile a load of new stuff into a real half life 3 game

I quite loved the episode idea anyway, I just think if valve consentrated on it more it would have worked out really well!! they've let their technology get to out of date! we could have had episode 6 by now!

 

[dogboy73]

I think they should just EP3 out of the way & then forget about the whole sorry mess!!

 

[nurizeko]

I know how much the ol' folks on this forum hate multiple threads about the same thing

That is no way to speak to your elders. Or in this case, superiors.

What do you think?

I think Valve could solve the problem by releasing episode 3. And THEN making HL3 if they so desire.

There is nothing wrong with the episodic phase of content in and of itself, its a perfectly fine business/development model.

The problem lies within Valve seemingly unable to keep development within a short time frame required of episodic releases.

I don't know why they haven't released it, I assume they are either being art fags and taking ages to polish it up 'just so' or they have forgotten in to work on their other slutty franchises such as TF2 or Left $ Dead 2 (The dollar sign was a typo but strangely apt, it stays).

 

[Colonel Kernel]

^ Yep
Releasing Ep 3 on the good old Orange Box Source engine is enough to make us happy. It's not the engine that allways makes us stare at the screen with our mouths open, It's the CONTENT within that game. We didn't needed a cool cutscene to feel the emotions when Eli died, did we? Or when that bridge in the start of Ep 2 felt apart.
Sure, if your a graphics fan, you'd want more, but seriously, Valve should'nt consider the eye candy as a first-in-the-line objective.

 

[JUL3]

That is no way to speak to your elders. Or in this case, superiors.

Sorry, what? Who are you to judge superiority? You do realize don't you that by "ol' folks" I meant the veterans of this site? i.e the people who joined in 2003, 2004.

 

[JUL3]

The first questions which pops into my head is: why? and why call it Half-Life 3?

yes, I would like to have it, but again, why would Valve bother?

Because the whole Episodic Content thing created great confusion for people, I probably should have mentioned that after 'Half-Life 3' is released then the episodes shouldn't ever be able to be purchased or referred to again.
That way everyone can forget all about this big thing & wait in patience for Half-Life 4.

 

[Naph]

It's like calling all the expansions to Guild Wars: Guild Wars 2.

 

[Wizard]

Wow why don't you just open the next episode in Steam.

It takes like 30 seconds.

 

[Vegeta897]

Yeah um, calling it Half-Life 3 is just completely ridiculous when it's part of the same story arc. When comparing how different HL1 and HL2 are, the margin is just way off.

 

[Paulaner]

Sure, if your a graphics fan, you'd want more, but seriously, Valve should'nt consider the eye candy as a first-in-the-line objective.

Well, I see your point and I agree, but not totally. Just thinking: releasing HL2 on the GoldSrc engine would have made some difference, right? HL2 was state of the art, for its time. Jaw dropping and graphically awesome. OK, Ep3 is an episode, sort of an expansion, a map pack, so the old graphics are adequate. But, you know, Valve is taking too much time for a simple expansion. Some things don't compute.

 

[nurizeko]

Sorry, what? Who are you to judge superiority? You do realize don't you that by "ol' folks" I meant the veterans of this site? i.e the people who joined in 2003, 2004.

Welcome to HL2.net, it's safer here.

 

[kupocake]

Having posted in this thread already, I'm left wondering why I didn't simply ask what this supposed 'Half-Life 3 vs HL2 Episodes debacle' even is.

 

[Shakermaker]

Having posted in this thread already, I'm left wondering why I didn't simply ask what this supposed 'Half-Life 3 vs HL2 Episodes debacle' even is.

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. HL3/Ep3 can hardly be called the new DNF.

 

[Colonel Kernel]

Well, I see your point and I agree, but not totally. Just thinking: releasing HL2 on the GoldSrc engine would have made some difference, right? HL2 was state of the art, for its time. Jaw dropping and graphically awesome. OK, Ep3 is an episode, sort of an expansion, a map pack, so the old graphics are adequate. But, you know, Valve is taking too much time for a simple expansion. Some things don't compute.

Yes, there was a tremendous difference (from first view) between GoldSrc and Source, but it was time for a change (at that time, of course). Now, with the avaiable realism and physics, it is either just time for improvements - upgrades of the engine (like HDR, bloom and the particle system) or a new engine (not necessery totally new). But, as we haven't finished the curent story arc i.e. the Episodes, the new engine might be appropriate to be shipped with the release of Half-Life 3 (whenever that'll be).

By the way, I think that releasing the Episodes (1,2 and 3) in a single game would be the most rational solution to this thread, although I don't see the need for it though.

 

[Crazy_killer]

They need every bit of time obviously, why else would it take so long? In other words, no reason to waste time on 'fusing' the three episodes together, whats the point..?

 

[coheedswicked]

Im pretty sure valve were gonna put all the content of episode 1,2, and 3 into one game and call it Half-Life 2: Aftermath (i read an article about it in PC gamer in 2005), but then they decided to go with the episodic content for faster releases and so they could improve the engine as time went along to keep up with other games.... so if all the episodes were to be re-released as a sort of full-length game... it would probably re-adopt this title...