Laidlaw: Half-Life 2's Alyx Works Because 'She Gives You Back Emotion'

[DigiQ8]

Gamasutra had an interview with Laidlaw and fellow Valve writer Erik Wolpaw. Laidlaw made some comments on Gordon Freeman's development as a lead character and how it has more to do with his external interactions rather than internal mechanisms.

So we were trying to do a thing where it wasn't about one guy who is saving the world heroically for his own reasons, You're doing it with your allies and friends. It's part of a larger effort. It's not just Gordon Freeman against the universe. It's Gordon Freeman as part of this group.

He mentioned that Alyx's actions sly smiles, concerned expressions, compliments gives Gordon Freeman an air of importance.

She gives back to you emotion, which is the only way we can tell the internal story of Gordon Freeman -- by the way the other characters treat him. So by having the characters like you and be glad to see you, you think, 'Oh, I'm an important person in this world.' Alyx was a great way of affirming that, and the things that are perilous to Alyx are going to be things that you care about.

Read the full interview here.

 

[Marler]

damn, want to play Halflife 2 again

 

[Plissken]

I just played through the whole thing again last weekend while I was sick with the Piggy Flu, and I gotta say, it was a really great experience to go back to, especially playing it with the episodes.

I know a lot of people who hated Route Kanal, Highway 17, and Sandtraps, but I actually liked those sequences, and I enjoyed them a bit more now going back again. And Episode 2 is just fantastic fun for me anytime, it definitely contained some of the stronger sequences in the game and the story developments are epic.

You know, I even like it better than some other FPS's since--Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Bioshock, and F.E.A.R. 2, for example. Even though Half-Life 2 is more linear than those others, I feel I just have more fun blowing through it than the rest. I think VALVe had a great pacing in Half-Life 2, it ramps up and calms down at the right moments.

A lot of it also does come down to characters and the facial animations. I always loved the opening of Episode 1 with Alyx and Eli, and especially Kleiner's reaction when he finds out you're still at the Citadel.

And that has always made me wonder--why haven't more games and game engines invested more into facial animation? It honestly makes the game experience more engrossing to see characters with more than a permanent scowl on their faces, and even the body language in Half-Life 2 has little details to it that make them nicer to watch. The only other game I can recall off the top of my head that pulled it off is probably Uncharted/Uncharted 2 on the PS3... there might be more, but they're not coming to me.

But I see way too many games coming out that have just plastic looking character models. I would have thought facial animation be priority for other game engines, but I guess its just taken time to catch up.

 

[MJ12]

yeah yeah we get it, now tell us about episode 3

 

[Asknoone]

Laidlaw still exists?

 

[Fiberawptic]

Wow, quite a profound read. Especially if you want to become a writer (which i don't). But yeah, some stuff on Episode 3 would've been... liked...

 

[huntingbear]

my god are they avoiding ep 3 talk or what

 

[Fiberawptic]

my god are they avoiding ep 3 talk or what

The interview wasn't meant to unveil info on Episode 3. It was to explore the ideas and thoughts of Valve's "under-heard" writers and how they work.

 

[Lobster]

Good Read, even subtle storytelling goes a long way to making a game great for me, TF2 like most multiplayer centric games has the least need for a story, yet some how, a mini universe and backstory has formed around it It adds flavor to the characters, no matter how light.

I dont know any more than anyone else. But personally, I would not be surprised if the next Half-Life game dropped the title 'Episode 3'.

 

[Vegeta897]

Laidlaw: She gives back to you emotion, which is the only way we can tell the internal story of Gordon Freeman -- by the way the other characters treat him. So by having the characters like you and be glad to see you, you think, 'Oh, I'm an important person in this world.' Alyx was a great way of affirming that, and the things that are perilous to Alyx are going to be things that you care about.

Wow, Laidlaw needs a girlfriend seriously.

 

[brad92]

Yes, this is so where I want to end up.

 

[Barnz]

my magicball says:


...you'll be a hobo!

 

[Sloth]

Wow, Laidlaw needs a girlfriend seriously.

He keeps on referencing his kids on his blog , I would assume he has a wife from that...

 

[Barnz]

Yes. He's married. There was a photo of her wife on some site.

 

[Operational]

But personally, I would not be surprised if the next Half-Life game dropped the title 'Episode 3'.

Same here.

 

[Vegeta897]

He keeps on referencing his kids on his blog , I would assume he has a wife from that...

Yes. He's married. There was a photo of her wife on some site.

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=162388

 

[Unfocused]

I don't really enjoy being patted on the head all the time.

 

[Schru]

It's a pitiful interview.