Lobardi: Half-Life 2 to be passed on to Vivendi "within days"

[Varsity]

PC Zone don't provide a source other than Doug's name - but this *isn't* a retailer date, and it *does* claim to be direct from Valve. :cheers:

HALF-LIFE 2: SEPTEMBER

Final code heads to Vivendi in the next few days; Valve says mid/late September for full release

12:40 "When it's done", is the oft borrowed phrase which canny developers use to thwart our polite journalistic enquires about release dates.
But now, finally ending months of speculation, Valve's Doug Lombardi seems to have confirmed that the most eagerly awaited PC title of this, or indeed any other year, is finally done.

According to Lombardi, Half-Life 2 will be passed on to publishers Vivendi "within days" for final mastering and duplication, well within Valve's target August delivery date - he has added that the game will hit retail mid- to late September.

Half-Life 2 for September it is then and we're going to hold them to that ...Unless of course anything else changes.

Searched for: PC Zone, Doug, Within days.

 

[kingthebadger]

thats old **

 

[Varsity]

5 days?

 

[bliink]

"The release date remains unchanged" -Doug Lombardi, 'within days' of September 30 2003

 

[el Chi]

"The release date remains unchanged" -Doug Lombardi, 'within days' of September 30 2003

I never did get why they were sticking to their guns about that...

 

[CR0M]

1 'Day' - passage of time based on rotation of Earth in accordance with cycle of sun
1 'Year' - timespan of 365 days, complete Earth orbit of sun
1 'Lombardi' - 4th dimensional timeframe prone to 'slippage' (ref. black holes, p.1034. see also Hawking Vacant Time theories, p.3553).

 

[C-O-N-Spiracy]

Guess we'll just have to wait and see wont we? I hope this is credible news.. but time will tell.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

I'm going to believe this.

I'm serious. Gold within days bitches.

 

[Mr Neutron]

I'm going to believe this.

I'm serious. Gold within days bitches.

Er, how many days? 7? 30? 365?

It really comes down to whether Valve is willing to submit a RC before the CS:S beta starts or finishes. I'll bet they hope to be "bug free" before starting the beta, then they'll wait until after a week of testing to make sure no major Source problems are reported.

They might submit a RC to get that process starting while in the meantime conducting the beta. I wonder if Valve can retract an RC if Vivendi approves it. Maybe the publisher approval process is too cursory a bug-check for this to make any sense.

I'm puzzled why Valve never tells anyone straight what's going on. I think people could accept that they themselves don't know how long thing's will take. I guess though if they made their internal deadlines public we'd harange them for more info and then lambast them when a date slips.

 

[MaDMaXX]

CROM, great avatar, and i like the "1 Lombardi" definition. From speaking with Doug, i imagine he'd think it was pretty funny too (in light of things past

 

[Sparta]

I predict gold sometime this month. but if it doesn't at least i have my new shiny copy of Doom 3 to keep me company

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Er, how many days? 7? 30? 365?

Within 10 i reckon.

 

[C-O-N-Spiracy]

Yeah, Doom 3 should hold us over til they finally release Half-Life 2. If it takes longer then I'll be looking forward to The Sims 2, SuperPower 2, Axis & Allies RTS, etc, until it finally comes out.

 

[lans]

This is real kids - heck they had the complete game at G-Phoria. Doug said the same even there.

 

[mutt]

in valve speak they probably mean within 40 days or sumit

 

[Razor]

in valve speak they probably mean within 40 days or sumit

Or .054 Lombardi's.

Can't wait, only a Lombardi away from playing Half Life 2 .

 

[Asuka]

1 'Day' - passage of time based on rotation of Earth in accordance with cycle of sun
1 'Year' - timespan of 365 days, complete Earth orbit of sun
1 'Lombardi' - 4th dimensional timeframe prone to 'slippage' (ref. black holes, p.1034. see also Hawking Vacant Time theories, p.3553).

Thats great lmfao!

 

[Headcrab Cakes]

lol that's hilarious!

 

[A-Train]

LOL....a Lombardi!!!....sounds like a Lewinsky in developer circles..

 

[redundant]

i don't see how they can be passing it on to vivendi in days, they haven't even started the cs: s beta yet, have they?

wasn't that supposed to be testing the net-code for hl2? if it was then we can't hope to get a gold anouncement till a week or two depending on how good the beta is.

although i could be all wrong about that...
/me hides in the corner

 

[Sparta]

i don't see how they can be passing it on to vivendi in days, they haven't even started the cs: s beta yet, have they?

wasn't that supposed to be testing the net-code for hl2? if it was then we can't hope to get a gold anouncement till a week or two depending on how good the beta is.

although i could be all wrong about that...
* redundant hides in the corner

Yeah good point, but HL2 can still go Gold whilst CS:Source is being beta tested by the lucky members of the CS/HL community.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

And when it goes gold just release the required fixes through steam.

Oh it all sounds too easy....

 

[Chris D]

This news comes from HL Radio. Once again the game isn't going gold in a few days, but the release candidate should be sent to Vivendi in the next few days (estimated 5th August). There will probably be a few RCs. The game will go gold during August or early September providing there are no more slips.

 

[Pitbul]

i wouldn't be surprized if CS:S didn't ship with HL2 and instead one the betas finish and CS is made availible thru steam, now wheres the rush of VAVLe d!ck riders who come to say "0MG Kn0es!!! VAVL3 teh sa1d th4t teh CS:S w1ll sh1p with HL2 4nd what teh m1ght VALV3 teh s4ys must b3 teh truff!!!111!111".

 

[PvtRyan]

Yeah good point, but HL2 can still go Gold whilst CS:Source is being beta tested by the lucky members of the CS/HL community.

No it can't, CS:S beta is not meant to bugtest CS:S, but to compatibility test Source. So HL2 going gold while there's still a beta running to test the engine on a variety of systems is stupid.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

This news comes from HL Radio. Once again the game isn't going gold in a few days, but the release candidate should be sent to Vivendi in the next few days (estimated 5th August). There will probably be a few RCs. The game will go gold during August or early September providing there are no more slips.

It's very confusing wording. The first post says the game is going gold within days. So PC Zone didn't actually talk to Lombardi, they're just grabbing info from HL radio and making their own conclusions?

 

[C-O-N-Spiracy]

Suwwwweeet! Soon huh?


*spooky music progressively plays*

(Spooky split-second G-Man face glimps)
(Helicopters *buzz*, Aircraft screem by *Screeetch!*)
(Marines Yelling, firing weapons, dropping like flies *gunfire* while Aliens *roar*)
(another freaky G-Man split second glimps)

(G-man offering choice to Gordon)
(Gordon accepts)...

"Today, the world has never been in a worse state since the incident 15 years ago..." (Nuke going off at BMRF)

(footage of a once modern day city turned 3rd world called City 17)
(Melancholy poor inhabatants roam while Combine guards patrol the streets )

(Combine guard pistol whips a civilian pressing authority)

"BUT..."

*Explosions* *Gunfire in the back Ground*
(Strider towering over a city block firing at civilians)

"Just......
WHEN....
YOU THOUGHT......

IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE!"...

..."(Alyx) o O (Gordon, you're staring at me again! :stare: )

(*Hard Metal music plays*)

(More destructive Strider footage *Loud Boom!*)
(*Explosions* Hovering Gunship firing at a Vehicle that's twisting and turning evasively *tire screeching*)
(*gunfire* Massive alien swarms devouring Combine guards while sentry guns blaze *alien noises*)

"Gordon Freeman, a former Black Mesa scientist is back after overwhelming disaster had stricken the most advanced research laboratory in the country leaving him to seek answers yet unknown.."

(Gordon) . o O (.........)

"At loss for words once again in this most anticipated, action packed suspense thriller of the year!"

(Ebert and Roepert Give it 6 stars, highest rating... ever!)

(*Metal Music Pauses*)
(*Heart Beat Sound*)

"Gordon Freeman!"

(*creeking, rattling noise*)
(*Louder Heart Beat sound*)

"Alyx Vance!"

(*progressively louder creeking, rattling noise*)
(*Louder Heart Beat sound*)

"Barney Calhoun!"

(*absolute silence*)
(*Heart beat sounds stops*)

"...... The G-Man!"

(*Loud Explosion!*)

(*Metal Music Continues, Fades into spooky music*)

H/\LF-LIFE 2

"Rated R, action starts Thursday, September 30th On PC's Everywhere"


MAN I CANT WAIT!

 

[obsidian]

well it aint goin gold any earlier than 10th August. but gold sometime in August seems likely.

 

[jabberwock95]

So if it went gold in the next week it would still take until mid-to-late september to ship? Damn, I was really hoping for an August release.

My first new post in months... A big Hi to anyone who remembers me! :cheese: I'm never going away again (I had to trawl about 30 pages of threads to get caught up!).

 

[CR0M]

Don't make the mistake of thinking a Lombardi is constant - although most of the time it may appear that way, chaos theory suggests that beyond visible light it is warping, twisting and shifting continuosly much like a gigantic worm made up of hot gasses under immense pressure, mainly Boron (Trifluoride) and Selenium (hexafluoride). It is this resulting superheated BS release that can, when mixed with gravity a bit like cement, or indeed jelly, cause a Catastrophic Time Event, or Slippage.

This would indicate a 'definate perhaps'.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

haha crom I'm getting a bit slow. I use to always be aware of the Lombardi-factor.....now i'm actually believing him.

Could the Lombardi-factor really rape our anal passageways one more time?

 

[el Chi]

And when it goes gold just release the required fixes through steam.
Oh it all sounds too easy....

Yeah, I think that, however close it is to being finished (as in genuinely finished) it might not be announced as gold until they're absolutely sure they've got bugs ironed out in Steam and many more servers. By what I hear, it's a bit dodgy and so hundereds of thousands of people trying to download a very large file simultaneously will cause a few problems unless it's very very sorted.

Of course they may announce it as gold, and just not release it for ages. As many people have said Valve enjoy torturing their fan-base. Of course they do :hmph:

 

[jabberwock95]

It is this resulting superheated BS release....

Now THAT is hilarious.

..cause a Catastrophic Time Event, or Slippage.

In fact, i've often heard that the area surrounding Doug Lombardi is full of Catastrophic Repurcussive Atemporal Paradoxes.

 

[Synthaxx R-or]

Damn you C-O-N-Spiracy, you gave me goosebumps :cheers:

But the whole CS-S thing is a little bit strange, except if they have a one day beta test period or something.
But i'd rather just have the game and patch it later (if needed ofcourse, vivendi will probably test some more too).

Anyways, it's all good :E :cheers:

/edit: CR0M you nutbag, please sit down before you hurt your nerdie head (j/k loved it! hilarious! )

 

[Cybernoid]

PC Zone don't provide a source other than Doug's name - but this *isn't* a retailer date, and it *does* claim to be direct from Valve. :cheers:

What year? 2003 or 2004? It's probably bullshit in any case.

 

[C-O-N-Spiracy]

Damn you C-O-N-Spiracy, you gave me goosebumps :cheers:

It's gonna be a 'BlockBuster' :cheers:

 

[CR0M]

In fact, i've often heard that the area surrounding Doug Lombardi is full of Catastrophic Repurcussive Atemporal Paradoxes.

This could change my theory yet again. Will get onto my mate Steve H to re-write it straight away. He's got this cool robot voice typing thingy on his wheelchair? you should see it - I get him to type in 'bumhats' and 'fartknocker' and stuff.

How we laugh.

 

[Lobster]

There is no reason why Valve would need to include the CSS beta in the box, aslong as its in a releasable form on the release date, it would simply be added to steam for HL2 cd key holders, it means they can be bug fixing based on public reports between the usually dead time of RC/Gold > Release.

Anyway a few days can quite happily be august 5th, i wouldnt take much from it :O

 

[Slyght]

My guess for a release date, as it has been for a long time, is September 21st. My reasons:

- It's a Tuesday
- Doug had been claiming HL2 would come out this summer, September 22nd is technically the last day of summer
- September 21st falls smack dab in between mid to late September

If it comes out any earlier than that, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[DrunkPanda]

haha crom I'm getting a bit slow. I use to always be aware of the Lombardi-factor.....now i'm actually believing him.

Could the Lombardi-factor really rape our anal passageways one more time?

i'm guessing it could. lombardi is a compulsive liar