In Relation to HL2 Going "Gold"

[rec]

Some of you have pointed out that it's not uncommon that a game will go go gold a week before announced released date.

Unfortunately, this is apparently a world-wide release. Even if it went gold tommorrow morning, there's no chance it could go to the press and then be shipped to retailers world wide in a fortnight. It's simply not going to happen.

Unless ofcourse this proccess is already in progress, and Valve have decided not to announce HL2's gold status, and due to various organisations bound by NDA contracts, we won't have the slighest clue that its in transit until it's actually in stock rooms of our local outlets.

While my last paragraph was extremely optimistic, I'm affraid that unless something along those lines is the case, we won't be seeing it in stores September 30th.

But who knows, maybe we'll see it on Steam Sept 30th? If they've completed production of the game entirely but are unable to meet distribution deadlines, perhaps they'll make the release on Steam while the boxed copies appear on store shelves during the fortnight after?

No, no, you're right, now I'm talking out of my arse.

 

[||Diablo||]

.......and you're point being?

 

[rec]

That your IQ is lower than I expected.

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Gabe said that he will inform us when HL2 goes gold and they are aiming for a WW-Release becuase its coming out on steam on sep 30th, other wise steam will be delayed and have to wait for it to get to stores.

 

[||Diablo||]

maybe they got some sort of super mass copyin thingy machine..and only takes 1 week to make 10000004 copies :bounce:

 

[Koldfire]

They are using the starforge

 

[D33]

Originally posted by rec
That your IQ is lower than I expected.

Sorry ||Diablo|| but that made me smile ;(

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Like someone said a while ago that they will prolly send a copy to each country with CD duplicating factories so yeah, sounds like a good idea, so thats how they might get it around the world before 30th, i mean they still have 5 - 6 days
CROSS YA FINGERS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Feath]

Although the US is technologically advanced in many respects, CD pressers exist outside outside the US.

I know this is shocking to a lot of people but I'm afraid it's true. Take deep breaths, and you'll calm down and get used to it.

People have this mental image of CD Pressers pressing many CDs and these CDs being loaded onto Planes and flown around the world.

This is incorrect. What will happen is that many Gold Discs (they can make more than one) will be flown to various Countries to be pressed. This will be cheaper and easier.

 

[Headwires]

time is getting short :/ but u never know. they might be suprise us

 

[_-_-SELAS-_-_]

Originally posted by Gordon'sFreeman
Gabe said that he will inform us when HL2 goes gold and they are aiming for a WW-Release becuase its coming out on steam on sep 30th, other wise steam will be delayed and have to wait for it to get to stores.

He did? I've only heard/seen him say that he would tell us prior to it coming out, not turning gold.

 

[Nostradamus]

1 cd takes 3 seconds to "burn" on the bad ass machines....

 

[rec]

Regardless of figures (burn speeds etc), it doesn't distract from my original point that they can't produce the CD's and ship them globally within the next fortnight unless they've already started doing it. Simply impossible.

And if they've already started doing it, the hundreds, possibly thousands of people world-wide involved with the production and shipping and keeping unrealistically tight-lipped about it all, and Valve would have obviously skipped the "Gold" announcement.

 

[.5c0ut-WHoR3.]

The steam and retail copy of hl2 will be released at the same time.

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Originally posted by _-_-SELAS-_-_
He did? I've only heard/seen him say that he would tell us prior to it coming out, not turning gold.

I saw it in spitcodfry's review thing i swear i dont know :|
but he'll tell us

 

[eclipxe]

ha Fortnight...

/useless post

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Originally posted by rec
Regardless of figures (burn speeds etc), it doesn't distract from my original point that they can't produce the CD's and ship them globally within the next fortnight unless they've already started doing it. Simply impossible.

And if they've already started doing it, the hundreds, possibly thousands of people world-wide involved with the production and shipping and keeping unrealistically tight-lipped about it all, and Valve would have obviously skipped the "Gold" announcement.

Read My earlier post and Feaths post.

 

[rec]

On the note of various factories in various countries who will have a copy and burn their own numbers of copies for their outlets, I find it very hard to believe no one has said anything yet, hundreds of people who be involved in this production and shipping proccess.

However, I'm hoping your right, I want this game as much as you do (I lied, I want it more, MORE!! *evil chaotic school girl laugh*).

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

do you hear of other games coming into the country being made for mass production?
i dont.

 

[ferd]

infact they can, could be done in about 2 days for US and Europe

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

I tell you what, im going to hibernate till sep 30th.

 

[_-_-SELAS-_-_]

Originally posted by Gordon'sFreeman
I saw it in spitcodfry's review thing i swear i dont know :|
but he'll tell us

He did say though that they will be making a gold announcement, and that they won't just send it to retailers on the 30th without prior notice to the public. [/B]

 

[Feath]

Originally posted by rec
On the note of various factories in various countries who will have a copy and burn their own numbers of copies for their outlets, I find it very hard to believe no one has said anything yet, hundreds of people who be involved in this production and shipping proccess.

However, I'm hoping your right, I want this game as much as you do (I lied, I want it more, MORE!! *evil chaotic school girl laugh*).

The factories don't have the gold discs yet. We know that. I'm arguing that they don't need that long to press enough copies.

But we'll see. That's a chance that the game will be slightly late because of the last few bugs.

 

[jabberwock95]

Hi. I sort of agree that valve is leaving it a bit late to go gold and make sept 30th, but we can hope can't we? For all we know, all valve needs is for one company to call them up and say 'we've played it. It's great!' and then it will be officially gold.

OK. Now i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that nobody here knows ANYTHING about mass CD manufacture, the type of machines they use, the amount of copies they need, etc. Sorry if anyone here DOES know more than they could write on the back of a stamp, im just being general. I think it's still possible it will be ready for the 30th.

 

[rec]

The press isn't what I'm worried about, it's the distribution. Two days to US and Europe you say, what about the rest of the world? We want the game on Sept 30th here in Australia too, you realise.

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Originally posted by rec
The press isn't what I'm worried about, it's the distribution. Two days to US and Europe you say, what about the rest of the world? We want the game on Sept 30th here in Australia too, you realise.

Read my Post and Feath's

 

[Magicpants]

Originally posted by Feath
Although the US is technologically advanced in many respects, CD pressers exist outside outside the US.

I know this is shocking to a lot of people but I'm afraid it's true. Take deep breaths, and you'll calm down and get used to it.

People have this mental image of CD Pressers pressing many CDs and these CDs being loaded onto Planes and flown around the world.

This is incorrect. What will happen is that many Gold Discs (they can make more than one) will be flown to various Countries to be pressed. This will be cheaper and easier.

Lol it seems i agree with Feath in just about every post, but i do again.

They don't even have to ship a CD.
Given the example of the UK - Valve finishes CD and posts data on a private FTP server, UK CD presser downloads the data and burns themselves a 'gold' cd (yes they're often actually gold but they don't have to be) or most likely more than one gold CD which they use at different pressing plants or they may even 'forward' the data (via a direct connection) to another plant so that the pressing may be performed as quickly as possible.

It is also worth mentioning that there is not one machine that presses a million copies of HL2 from one gold CD and it is extremely possible that a game could go gold... ooh 2 days before release.

(how do newspapers manage to print so many copies of a newspaper so quickly and get it distributed...)

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

Originally posted by Magicpants
Lol it seems i agree with Feath in just about every post, but i do again.

They don't even have to ship a CD.
Given the example of the UK - Valve finishes CD and posts data on a private FTP server, UK CD presser downloads the data and burns themselves a 'gold' cd (yes they're often actually gold but they don't have to be) or most likely more than one gold CD which they use at different pressing plants or they may even 'forward' the data (via a direct connection) to another plant so that the pressing may be performed as quickly as possible.

It is also worth mentioning that there is not one machine that presses a million copies of HL2 from one gold CD and it is extremely possible that a game could go gold... ooh 2 days before release.

(how do newspapers manage to print so many copies of a newspaper so quickly and get it distributed...)

omg thats it!!! there going to use STEAM to send it around the world on a prive thing and then make CDS, my god!!! vavle are Sneeky basterds

 

[rec]

I hope to God that your faith in Valve pays off.

I simply find it hard to beleive word hasn't been slipped out yet.

 

[_-_-SELAS-_-_]

Magicpants what u say sounds very logical thank you for keeping my faith up Im still positive.

 

[Skammich]

Originally posted by rec
I hope to God that your faith in Valve pays off.

I simply find it hard to beleive word hasn't been slipped out yet.

good god, you're really confident in valve, i say if it comes out on the 30th, then good for valve and proving wrong all the people like you, but if it misses, oh well, we can wait a week, it's not like my hardware will be out of date by then.

 

[rec]

Hey, I never said it won't happen, I'm hoping it will as much as any other joe in these forums.

 

[Gordon'sFreeman]

If Vavle make the date they will go down in history as the best game developers in the world, if they miss it they will be taunted and booed and the basterds that said it will not make sep 30 will gloat forever.

just saying thats all
Ill like them anyway

 

[el Chi]

Originally posted by Feath
Although the US is technologically advanced in many respects, CD pressers exist outside outside the US.

I know this is shocking to a lot of people but I'm afraid it's true. Take deep breaths, and you'll calm down and get used to it.

No, Feath, no! Stop! No! <Twitches nervously>
We don't have electricity in these parts... Let alone seedy pressures, whatever THOSE might be.
My computer is made of wood, runs on a coal furnace and my internet is powered via hamsters retrieving files down tubes. And my eee-may-ul is delivered via carrier pigeon.

 

[el Chi]

Originally posted by Gordon'sFreeman
if they miss it they will be taunted and booed and the basterds that said it will not make sep 30 will gloat forever.

<Coughs>John Romero<Coughs>

 

[MoJo|Night]

I know it's been debated over and over but what gets me is why wait 5 years in silence and then break that silence by announcing a date you might not make, after that length of time on the sly I'd expect them to announce it for a date they know 100% they can make.

With spitcodfry's visit the other day and very few people working on hl2 and the conference visits by valve staff I personally think that hl2 is very possibly finished and they are working on steam now and doing further play testing for bugs.

I could be wrong but waiting 5 years and announcing a date you might miss makes no sense compared to waiting 5 and a half years and hitting your date. If xmas came into the equation then it would make sense, i.e. if they'ed originally announced december for the game and not september. Who knows.....

I'm not so sure "going gold" is that important in this case anyway, lets face it it is just a buzz word games magazines etc like to say to look like they know what they are talking about, and in the case of hl2 it may be even more of a moot point. Actually I just had a thought.

Valve have said the requirement to connect to steam to play sp will only last for the first few weeks after release, and mp will always be via steam. Slight leap of faith here, just a theory.... Valve finished a stable build of hl2 they are happy with and box it up and ship it out. They then continue to test and tweak things like gfx on the back of a combines head like spit saw on his visit and will send those updates out to players of the game via steam on release. Make sense?

I can see flaws in it but it's a possibility.

 

[Magicpants]

Originally posted by _-_-SELAS-_-_
Magicpants what u say sounds very logical thank you for keeping my faith up Im still positive.

I don't know sh*t - maybe it is just one guy with a hand operated CD presser...in the states...who doesn't have a car to distribute the copies and only has a MAC to test the software....heh

 

[Pol]

Unfortunately, this is apparently a world-wide release. Even if it went gold tommorrow morning, there's no chance it could go to the press and then be shipped to retailers world wide in a fortnight. It's simply not going to happen.

of course it could.

 

[Mr Neutron]

...then, the gold disc is sent to a monastary in an exotic mountain range where monks make each copy by hand out of grains of sand, only to wipe them away when finished...

...the printed boxes are then sent via coneyor belt towards the rotating knives; the blood poors down shoots into...

 

[Magicpants]

..Neutron you make very little sense.