Marc Laidlaw talks more about his Half-Life 2: Episode Three ideas

[Barnz]

The former writer of the Half-Life series, Marc Laidlaw, shared his ideas for Half-Life 2: Episode Three on his personal Twitter account. Laidlaw also revealed the plot for the game on his personal blog this week.

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:29 PM

Epistolary (Episode) Afterthoughts: The map is not the territory. A sketch is only a starting point. Everything changes as you try to make it real...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:29 PM

Everyone who works on it will have ideas, and new opportunities will appear and change everything...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:30 PM

But even on a story level, you will find as you get closer that some things just won't work. Would Alex (Alyx) really shoot and kill Jerry Maas (Judith Mossman)?...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:30 PM

Is that too harsh? What if Alex (Alyx) pushed Jerry (Judith) into a timeloop or portal bubble instead, leaving his (her) fate open?...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:31 PM

Is there a role in all this for the former security guard Bernadette (Barney)? What about cAT (Dog)?...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:31 PM

What if the final explosion powers a huge timeloop singularity that puts Gertrude (Gordon) back on the Green Valley Science Factory (Black Mesa Research Facility) Inbound Train...

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:32 PM

...and it all never happened? ...or is about to happen again?

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:34 PM

Also, how do you tell it? Do you start on the Hyperborea (Borealis) and have physical timeloops that function as flashbacks? How would that work?

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:36 PM

Do you start with glimpses of a Dispar (Combine) interrogation cell? Do you hint the entire experience is provoked fantasy as a means of getting info?

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:37 PM

Or is a straightforward linear experience the most satisfying? It takes a team to work this stuff out. Vignettes are easy.

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 08:39 PM

And then what do you do if the brilliant actress (actor) who plays Wanda Bree (Wallace Breen)...dies?

Alexander Yakovlev - August 26, 2017 - 09:15 PM

Actually, the last problem is not a problem. The character does not communicate in human language and voice anymore.

Marc Laidlaw - August 26, 2017 - 09:40 PM

Oh but how much more fun to have that genius actor working up speech!

 

[Gerzowktz]

Thanks for this intriguing story, I guess Valve will someday finish or better follow the saga of Halfilife ...

 

[Boff]

So effectively, what he was trying to show was development can start off simple and pure. A script, but basically everything can change and causes butterfly effects through the story and one "script" is never correct.
Effectively you can take the comedy WhoDunnIt movie "Clue", where they have multiple endings.
You can have all the characters, the scenery, and the backstory but stuff gets altered reshuffled to produce an alternative ending using the same fact.

Epistle 3 needed to be backed up with
And this is how it could have happened....and then another "story".

Anyone who has ever worked with developing a story or software will know stuff can change all the time, especially with more or more exposure to exploratory ideas and feedback.
Good Ideas and set pieces get replaced by a cooler better ideas, than then implodes because of unforeseen issues in getting some engine thing up and running, sending more butterfly ripples of chaos, Or yes F-stop is cool and awesome, but someone shot it down with, How can it be a portal Sequel or even a prequel if you don't address GlaDos, Chell or even have the signature Portal Gun.

With all the modders know wanting to BUILD Epistle 3 or artists wanting to do there take on it,
we see that Truth is a River, and God is the mouth of the river.

poor Laidlaw, he gave his cult what the were searching for, an answer to questions - sadly the lesson went over their heads.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

that was really satisfying to read, and I also regret my reactionary posts to the first bit of news about Epistle 3. Shit just hurts.

This would actually be a really ****ing interesting twist on things.