Preload delayed until Monday

[Pitbul]

6 years in development is enough for anyone. i expect no less then 40+ hours of gameplay and graphics as good as U3, and physics way better then any Video they have put out, if they can't reach that by September 30 of this year (which BTW is like spitting in the face of a gamer) then HL2 will score a 0/0 from my own personal review

 

[Drizz]

Let's all forget our troubles with an ice cold soda!

 

[Agent.M]

*sigh* Machine, I'm genuinely sorry (sort of) for being such a smartass, but read over things more carefully before telling us how we're going to be thinking in the near future; I'm pretty sure all of us here are well aware how much we appreciate Valve.

And another suggestion: use a spelling and grammar check next time? You're what... 23? Shouldn't you know the difference between "there", "their", and "they're"? by now? hmm, I won't press the issue, but I'd expect most everyone to be capable of the most simple linguistic usage, and, I'm 15.

Woah... huh... what?? I was trying to back you up kid! :flame:

 

[FISKER_Q]

Geez. It's not a matter of whether they owe us anything or if they're "trying hard." They don't and they are. It's about attracting and keeping customers by being a professional company. Being professional means, among other things, (1) keeping deadlines and promises, (2) advertising your product well (3) communicating well with the community, and (4) having a killer product. They've got #4, but they SUCK at everything else.

1. All of the NUMEROUS release gaffes as by someone else documented above
2. Not telling everyone about the HL2 delay until a few days before it was supposed to be released though they knew about it for months
3. They say they'll release SDK before the game then backpedal months later
4. They promise all the binks on steam. They release a few, pull them all, then release them much later on Bittorrent???
5. They promise a benchmark "soon," months pass, then nearly a year later it comes out--FOR ATI/CZ owners ONLY. Hello???
6. They say CS:CZ has "Gone Gold" and then the game disappears for months with NO WORD where it went.
7. They have a official (cob)website that exists for absolutely no reason at all save to take up (cyber)space. Yes they have people that don't work on HL2 that could take 10 minutes to post stuff on it.

And etc. Don't get me wrong, they certainly have all the right in the world to do whatever they want however they want, and despite my disappointments, I'll buy the game.

But DON'T say I'm a baby or and an idot or a whiner when as a "customer" I make the assertion (based on ample evidence) that Valve does not satisfy my notion of a "professional" company. I want to see them do well, but whether the fanboys like it or not, they ARE becoming a laughing stock.

If you want to see a company that communicates well --even through release date delays-- see Bioware.

Key to being a professional company:
(1) keeping deadlines and promises. WRONG. Let's try working hard. We could also try dedication. And there's other terms we can use as well.

(2) advertising your product well. WRONG. Let's try being serious. Also when being a professionel company, advertising tends to come with the community.

(3) communicating well with the community. True. It's good that they do then.

(4) having a killer product. WRONG. Just because your work turns out to be bad, doesn't make them unprofessionel. Now if they had rushed out the product, and it sucked, now THAT would've been unprofessional. Set your clock back to 30th september 2003 boys.

Some of your further points are true though, but part of being professional is feedback and improving. Your feedback wasn't constructive, i doubt they should've expected that. Some of the other points weren't entirely in Valve's hands. CS:CZ for example.

 

[Democritus]

Key to being a professional company:
(1) keeping deadlines and promises. WRONG. Let's try working hard. We could also try dedication. And there's other terms we can use as well.

(2) advertising your product well. WRONG. Let's try being serious. Also when being a professionel company, advertising tends to come with the community.

(3) communicating well with the community. True. It's good that they do then.

(4) having a killer product. WRONG. Just because your work turns out to be bad, doesn't make them unprofessionel. Now if they had rushed out the product, and it sucked, now THAT would've been unprofessional. Set your clock back to 30th september 2003 boys.

Some of your further points are true though, but part of being professional is feedback and improving. Your feedback wasn't constructive, i doubt they could've expected that. Some of the other points weren't entirely in Valve's hands. CS:CZ for example.

You must not be in business, then. I am. You want to make a customer mad, constantly miss release dates. You want to have a good product flop, don't advertise it well. You want to communicate well, do it through official channels people can trust. And having a killer product IS the key element of it all -- which Valve has, on which point, we agree.

EDIT: PS, I have made customers angry by missing release dates, so if you really want to get me, call me a hypocrite.

 

[FISKER_Q]

You must not be in business, then. I am. You want to make a customer mad, constantly miss release dates. You want to have a good product flop, don't advertise it well. You want to communicate well, do it through official channels people can trust. And having a killer product IS the key element of it all -- which Valve has, on which point, we agree.

EDIT: PS, I have made customers angry by missing release dates, so if you really want to get me, call me a hypocrite.

I've been doing similar things yes. And i also know idiots can be mad. But that doesn't change the fact on how you handle your job. And yes i do know that idiots are potentiel customers, but around here, they seem to be the "smaller" part of the communities.

Advertising it is a good idea, but that has nothing to do with valve(only over steam, which starts this monday) so far i know. And also the time for the advertising haven't even come yet. So let's just see what happens.

Other than that the hype generated by the community is good enough. The ATI deal just sweetens it.

However i do agree about you on the communicating through official sources though, i didn't think of it like that. However it must be pretty hard to do with all the information they release all the time. You should actually give the feedback to valve. Probably something by making a kindd of blog like the fingerservice ID Software uses.

 

[Democritus]

Other than that the hype generated by the community is good enough. The ATI deal just sweetens it.

They do have that. If Valve had never released Half-Life 1 and still had to prove themselves, I think their mistakes thus far would have buried them. I think Valve should have a daily blog. Now that would be fun.

 

[Tab]

This has nothing to do with it being playable or not. Being important to the community. . .or not. Whether we get it for free or not. This has to do with Valve, giving us a date (serveral times) and pushing it back (several times)

 

[iamaelephant]

I think Valve should have a daily blog. Now that would be fun.

"The entry for 20th August has been delayed until further notice. For today's blog entry, we will give you an entry from five years ago, but type it in a fancy looking font. Maybe no one will notice"

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Exactly. If you know you can't hold a date, then don't set a public date. This is why I'm not too concerned as to the lack of a real release date right now. But in the end, this is just hugely irresponsible on Valve's part. It's a letdown to the fans and is completely unprofessional, especially because it's for something fairly minor. I can forgive a couple of minor slip-ups, but this seems to be happening every time Valve says anything.

Way to go Valve, your credibility has dropped yet again. *claps*

i might be a little late in saying this...but i do think it needs to be pointed out.. and don't of it as me defending Valve.. they are in business and can defend for themselves..

but yeah.. my point is, when Valve doesn't give dates and doesn't talk/release media, then at that point fans send mass emails asking for dates on pre-load this and release date that..

so what does Valve do? they give a date.. then can't keep it and fans are once again mad.

look... as much as Valve are irresponsible or whatever word anyone wants to use, none of u can deny the pressures Valve goes through.. and i think partly because they go through more pressure of this kind is because they are more involved with their fanbase compared to other developers.

at this point i don't know whether to say to cut these guys some slack.. or flame away..because the truth is...this delay stuff is has gotten quite old..and im just tired.. bah :| :x

 

[FoxDie]

at this point i don't know whether to say to cut these guys some slack.. or flame away..because the truth is...this delay stuff is has gotten quite old..and im just tired.. bah :| :x

Sums up my feelings exactly....:|

 

[Tab]

Id like to get ahold of gabes teachers and ask them how he was with project deadlines

 

[smacky]

i have a feeling the birth of gabe newell was delayed too.
instead of popping his head out after 9 months , it got delayed for another 4 months. its in his genes

 

[GorgeousOrifice]

Did anybody read the changelog for the Steam update?

# Improved pending subscription behavior
# Improved 'reusing credit card' warning during purchase
# Changed credit card expiration year selection to go up to 2014
# Improved display of "not enough disk space" message in game install wizard
# Improved purchase wizard timeout behavior

Credit card and purchasing updates. Hmm. Now why would they have delayed a preload for their hotly anticipated upcoming game just for some measly credit card safety updates? How silly is that? Next thing you know Valve will want to make sure that your personal information is safe before they ask you to drop $50 over the net on a piece of software.

Now for some truth:
1) Delaying the preload is not the same as delaying the game. The preload contains only those things in the game that will not change.
2) Valve doesn't delay things for dumb reasons. If something sucks, they'd rather fix it BEFORE inflicting it on us. You whine and cry about "mean old unreliable Valve", but how loud would you be screaming if you got your game/preload/whatever with a big-ass bug that made it unusable or unplayable?
3) Having an ATI voucher, as I do, doesn't grant you any rights to anything concerning preloading. The terms of the voucher are clearly spelled out therein. So cut the shit about how Valve owes you a preload on any given date no matter what. They owe you the *finished* game, when it is *released*, and NOTHING else. And they *will* deliver on that.
4) Valve owes you NOTHING about HL2 until it is released and you pay for it and/or have an ATI voucher AND unless you accept the license agreement. Valve owes you NOTHING. They communicate with us as time permits, take us on tours of their frickin' offices, give away t-shirts, post on our boards, help out mod teams in advance of the release, and lots of other cool stuff. They do it because they value us and know how important we are to their success. Valve owes you NOTHING. I don't care what you think you're entitled to, because you're not entitled to ANYTHING. Period.

 

[jameth]

you people who are complaining, saying you're angry or depressed at valve are just plain sad.

get over it, it's just a preload ffs.

 

[adio2001]

Gorgeous that has to be one of the best posts I have ever read on these forums. Seriously guys we have been waiting for this game for more than a year, a couple months more is not going to kill you,(if indeed it does get delayed to oct or nov). Be patient and the game will come in no time.

 

[zer0kewl]

does it really mater you can't play the preload anyway.
and still its not gone release untill later next month probaly.

 

[smacky]

Did anybody read the changelog for the Steam update?

# Improved pending subscription behavior
# Improved 'reusing credit card' warning during purchase
# Changed credit card expiration year selection to go up to 2014
# Improved display of "not enough disk space" message in game install wizard
# Improved purchase wizard timeout behavior

Credit card and purchasing updates. Hmm. Now why would they have delayed a preload for their hotly anticipated upcoming game just for some measly credit card safety updates? How silly is that? Next thing you know Valve will want to make sure that your personal information is safe before they ask you to drop $50 over the net on a piece of software.

Now for some truth:
1) Delaying the preload is not the same as delaying the game. The preload contains only those things in the game that will not change.
2) Valve doesn't delay things for dumb reasons. If something sucks, they'd rather fix it BEFORE inflicting it on us. You whine and cry about "mean old unreliable Valve", but how loud would you be screaming if you got your game/preload/whatever with a big-ass bug that made it unusable or unplayable?
3) Having an ATI voucher, as I do, doesn't grant you any rights to anything concerning preloading. The terms of the voucher are clearly spelled out therein. So cut the shit about how Valve owes you a preload on any given date no matter what. They owe you the *finished* game, when it is *released*, and NOTHING else. And they *will* deliver on that.
4) Valve owes you NOTHING about HL2 until it is released and you pay for it and/or have an ATI voucher AND unless you accept the license agreement. Valve owes you NOTHING. They communicate with us as time permits, take us on tours of their frickin' offices, give away t-shirts, post on our boards, help out mod teams in advance of the release, and lots of other cool stuff. They do it because they value us and know how important we are to their success. Valve owes you NOTHING. I don't care what you think you're entitled to, because you're not entitled to ANYTHING. Period.

you are so right man.
but its still funny to make jokes about the delays :farmer:

 

[OCybrManO]

Gorgeous that has to be one of the best posts I have ever read on these forums. Seriously guys we have been waiting for this game for more than a year, a couple months more is not going to kill you,(if indeed it does get delayed to oct or nov). Be patient and the game will come in no time.

Approximately 57 million people (about 1 in 113) will have died by the first anniversary of HL2's original release date. In a couple of months 9+ million people could die. Chances are that at least some of those people want to play HL2.

Valve, please hurry so that none of us have to die without being able to play HL2!

 

[Sparta]

I think the massive outcry from the community (At least here it seems pretty big anyway) shows how much we want the game.

But i think its just ridiculous that people are comparing HL2 to DNF and Doom 3. We've known about DNF for 7 or so years, we knew about Doom 3 for 4 before it came out, we've known about HL2 for one year and for some reason it's coping just as much flack as the others.

 

[Beast206]

But i think its just ridiculous that people are comparing HL2 to DNF and Doom 3. We've known about DNF for 7 or so years, we knew about Doom 3 for 4 before it came out, we've known about HL2 for one year and for some reason it's copping just as much flak as the others.

Well, we not only have all the original HL1 fans complaining, but also all of the rabid mod fans. That makes for a lot of complaining considering the popularity of many of the HL mods.

 

[Iconoclast]

But i think its just ridiculous that people are comparing HL2 to DNF and Doom 3. We've known about DNF for 7 or so years, we knew about Doom 3 for 4 before it came out, we've known about HL2 for one year and for some reason it's coping just as much flack as the others.

Yes, but in that one year Valve has managed to break numerous promises and dates, and also get a good few outright lies in there.

It's getting stupid now. I haven't been keeping track - but wasn't the preload meant to be the 17th, then the 18th, and now Monday? Just the latest example. It's pissing people off. They have no concept of how to handle PR.

 

[FISKER_Q]

Yes, but in that one year Valve has managed to break numerous promises and dates, and also get a good few outright lies in there.

It's getting stupid now. I haven't been keeping track - but wasn't the preload meant to be the 17th, then the 18th, and now Monday? Just the latest example. It's pissing people off. They have no concept of how to handle PR.

Someone just prefers to tell the truth nomatter how bad it might sound.

 

[jabberwock95]

Error 413: Generic Angry/Witty/Dissapointed fanboy post defending/critisizing/laughing at Valve not found.

Cause: Delay between hands typing and brain working.

Solution: Drink Coffee, allow time for delay to sink in, forget about it.

 

[mayro]

Whos waiting to come look at the front page on monday to see....

*News flash, Gabe and the team have had to delay the pre-load because at this point it would just be wasted bandwith.*

 

[obiwanquinobi]

I wont be here - I'm off to my caravan for a week so hopefully when I get back there might be a suprise awaiting me:

Like a GOLD Announcement

Heres hoping :hmph:

 

[commando]

I wont be here - I'm off to my caravan for a week so hopefully when I get back there might be a suprise awaiting me:

Like a GOLD Announcement

Heres hoping :hmph:

man it is a great feeling to come back to.

i went away in july/august for 3 weeks and came bk to alot of new threads in this forum

you are going at a gr8 time and when u are bk all the news u will see will be gr8

 

[brightgreen]

Hahaha, the first page is hilarious

what a bunch of poor saps

 

[Mediocrity]

It wasn't ready, it was all marketing strategies...

To bring up the PHL flash movie again.....

Little Girl: *Sobs* Why did you lie to us, Doug Lombardi?

Doug Lombardi: Uh, little girl, I didn't lie...I used marketing strategy, all up in yo' hizzy, BIOTCH!

 

[Gunner]

you people who are complaining, saying you're angry or depressed at valve are just plain sad.

get over it, it's just a preload ffs.

Exactly. I don't see what the big deal is

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Goddamnit i wish as cool and calm as jameth. What's the big deal!!? I've devoted 16 months of my pathetic life to waiting for this game. EVERYTHING HINGES ON IT'S RELEASE OR I'M LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF STRING.

 

[kaellinn18]

Dude, you got a piece of string?!? Man, I got ripped off...

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Yeah my string is really good. I feel lucky to have it.

 

[ravennox12]

Lmao.. Valve should never give any dates.

Shadow, just saw your avatar and had to say GO FLYERs. I live in philly too, where abouts are you?

 

[Aknot]

Wacky, lose power and cant get to a PC til this morning. A lot can happen.

1. Yes in a "sense" Valve works for us. Without "us" they would be unemployed. Not in the sense that we can "fire" them but in a sense of if we do not buy/believe in their product they are out of business.

2. Will that happen? Not likely. HL2 will be a success. DNF (yeah....) if ever released will be a success if "marketed" correctly.

3. Are we "owed" something. Yes and No. When I was "big" into Americas Army the Devs were always posting and keeping us updated. Then it got to the point where they started "missing" things, words got turned aroun, deadlines were missed yadda yadda yadda. What was their solution? They halted ALL communication until they were ready. So point being if you are going to say you are going to do something please be prepared to do something. Intent is great the first time or so. While keeping us updated is great but keeping us "in the loop" is another. I would rather be be updated once in awhile then be kept in a loop so tight I can smell the onions Gabe had for lunch.

4. Get a PR person. It doesnt have to be a paying job. Get some fanboy to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Let him be the scapegoat and let him "filter" your messages to the community. (Hell Ill do it)

5. If we didnt whine, (female dog) and moan, they wouldnt know how much we cared. Can you imagine the reaction if after a few more delays we all jsut said "o well". It happens.

6. Yes they do monitor these boards. They would be a fool not to.

Got more but being that Im 39 and am at work I have a deadline to make on 3 C&A papers for the Marine Corps.

 

[jameth]

Goddamnit i wish as cool and calm as jameth. What's the big deal!!? I've devoted 16 months of my pathetic life to waiting for this game. EVERYTHING HINGES ON IT'S RELEASE OR I'M LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF STRING.

that's the spirit.

 

[The Monkey]

Sorry if I'm beeing dumb, but what exactly does preload mean? That the stores are preloading?

 

[Aknot]

Sorry if I'm beeing dumb, but what exactly does preload mean? That the stores are preloading?

To the best of my knowledge it is a "preloading" of the game. In which it loads "common" files that have already passed mustard that have been approved for the game. (graphics, sounds etc.) That wont be changed. To ease the burden of Steam.

 

[Liam]

Don't drink the water!

 

[Kiva128]

Hey elephant, you're right, valve does you half life 2...but the only thing they didn't specify was WHEN. The voucher said allow 4-6 weeks after the release. So if you don't get it by then, then you can start bitching, until that happens please shut up. ok thx.