How will the Episode 2 chapter system work?

[Narvi]

Okay, Half Life 2 is a chapter based game, right? This works cause it's linear, and all that. But since Episode 2 is being hyped up as non-linear, than how is the chapters going to be divided up? Will they be multiple big mags, divided by huge catastrophes like bridges collapsing, etcetera?

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Presumably the levels will all end in the same way, so the mulitple paths will end up in one place I guess.

 

[Jintor]

It's being hyped as non linear? No wheys. The canyon is always going to be a canyon.

 

[ríomhaire]

Who said it was non-linear? It's going to be linear, but linear in wide open spaces.

 

[Asknoone]

It will work in the exact same way. Episode 2 is non-linear as in you aren't always forced down the same, narrow path. The environments are wider, and there's more choice as to how to approach combat situations.
There isn't going to be hundreds of different ways through, this isn't free roaming (which is a good thing), so it will simply work in the same way.

 

[Ridge]

Yeah. It tricks you into thinking you have choices, when in reality you will always end a map at the same place...

 

[Iced_Eagle]

All three posts above mine are pretty much right...

It is still fairly linear, and you pretty much only get choices on how to handle combat.

It's how it was in HL1, HL2 and HL2 Ep1 and no reason to break the proven formula.

 

[CyberPitz]

I'm glad it's not free roam...I'd never have gotten past the first part of HL2. I'd still be finding the 50 different ways of getting into one room, them finding a way to get to the Citadel before getting out of Chapter 1!

 

[alehm]

Linear isn't such a bad thing if it is done well. Even games like Deus Ex which tooted multiple ways to play the game, was in fact still linear. Whatever route you chose you still played the same maps and same locations.

HL 1 & 2 is as linear as it gets except the gameplay is crafted so well I find it hard to complain about it since I had such a good time playing the game. It's only when the gameplay is average or lackluster do I then start to get irrated about it being linear.

 

[Asknoone]

I like linearity, it works well.

 

[Narvi]

They'd better let us backtrack quite a bit, though. I LIKE free-roaming games. ;D

 

[hot564231]

Jesus! if Ep2 was non-linear! It would take to 2010 for them to set a date for it to come out! Then another 2 years for it to come out!

 

[Jintor]

They'd better let us backtrack quite a bit, though. I LIKE free-roaming games. ;D

Pfft, I'd like to see Stalker come out first so I can see how a free-roaming vaguely story-wise shooter will work out first.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

They'd better let us backtrack quite a bit, though. I LIKE free-roaming games. ;D

You won't.

The point is to keep moving forward, not backwards... There is no point in going back.

 

[Asknoone]

Back-tracking is horrible, I hate it. One thing I've never liked is when I am unsure of where to go, or which direction to take.

 

[3ssence]

I agree totally, i find that having to backtrack because you've become completely lost and can't work out where to go next can completely kill a game.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

What makes the game work is that it's linear with options.
Episode 2 provides more options, but the idea is the same.

There really aren't any truly nonlinear games, that have a plot.

 

[ríomhaire]

Oblivion?

 

[Asknoone]

Oblivion storyline sucked.

 

[ríomhaire]

Yeah, but it had a plot. As does Crackdown. I don't know much about Mercenaries, but I think that was non-linear and had a plot.