Raising the Bar

[Oppressor]

I guess 50% at minimum off the members on this forum got the book Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar?

Whats your oppinion about it?

 

[ríomhaire]

GET IT
Good book if you're truely a HL devotie. Realy cool concepts.

 

[Ennui]

It's pretty much orgasmically excellent in every concievable way.

 

[Vegeta897]

ARGH. I knew I forgot to add something on my christmas list. Now what am I going to do.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Raisnig the Bar

Racist!

Oppressor by name, oppressor by nature, eh?

 

[jerkasaur]

if you go to the thread i made, there's about... well, i lost track of it, but there are alot of people who said i should buy it. if you're into concept art, it's a great thing for you.

 

[kupocake]

I've been randomly looking into it this very day, 13 months after I got it. Mind you, i'm turning into a bit of a sucker for artbooks, but that's no surprise when I've always enjoyed good design work and failed concepts especially

PS. has anyone been tempted to get a Combine Wall lithographs from the Valve store... I like that picture, but I probably don't have the money (certainly not for the now sold signed prints!). And it's not like I have anywhere I can display it. Now if I had my own place...

I hope that Valve decide to do Raising the Bar type books in the future. Hell, if they randomly did one for Aftermath and the rest of their post RtB stuff, i'd jump on it faster than a fast-zombie on an HEV wearing scientist.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I'm actually finding it almost impossible to find the damn thing anywhere, internet or meatspace.

 

[Asknoone]

It is indeed an awesome book. Often I find myself thinking about something, so I just pull it off the shelf and check up something. Brilliant stuff.

 

[Oppressor]

Sorry for the spelling error in the title, it is corrected in this particular moment

What can I say. The book is essential for all HL-fans. It has very beautiful handdrawings and high-resolution in-game pictures, awesome facts about all things occuring/not occuring in the game and of course you get to know that making a game of this standard takes an immense amount of team effort and creativity in every staff member. No wonder it actually took Valve 6 years to pull this through!

What I really liked was the the people Valve took their inspiration for their characters. The resemblance is almost exact in the man supposed to look like Eli. Same with Breen, Barney and Grigori. It was fun to see that these characters really exists.

If you are a HL-fan and doesen't have Raising the Bar in your possession;
GET IT!!

 

[Aspe]

Jesus, somebody's asking £72 for it on Amazon.co.uk I believe the 'Nice Price' £22 above it is the one I shall be choosing now...

Weeeee, in the post. I've been wanting a copy of thise book for some time now.

 

[Shodan]

I hid a copy of it in GAME on St. Stevens street in norwich last week, as I wanted to buy it later that day, but I forgot, anyone who wants it better go get it, its behind a copy of Party Political Broadcast Tycoon.

 

[Aspe]

Do you not want it any more? It's not that I'm interested in the hidden book myself - I've just placed an order for a copy - I'm just curious.

 

[mjollner]

Make this should make for a new thread alltogether.

Do you think with the growing interest in "making of" aswell as the current development of comentary that we'll be seeing making of features on the games that we buy? Very much like a dvd.

 

[TheGMan.]

I've never heard of this book, can someone give me a link of information, please?

 

[Oppressor]

Do you think with the growing interest in "making of" aswell as the current development of comentary that we'll be seeing making of features on the games that we buy? Very much like a dvd.

I'm sure there is an interest for making-off books, but infact I think the most games is pretty superficial compared to HL (correct me i I'm wrong). There is so many unanswered questions and other things making this book necessary if you want to know more of the underlying storyline, making the HL-series so interesting. And DVD's should be more of an interest to people that are into 3D-graphics I think

TheGMan, check this page out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761543643/103-1424747-2158230?v=glance&n=283155

 

[kupocake]

http://www.halflife2.net/articles.php?article=11

Half-Life 2 Raising the Bar review and also:

5 out of 5 stars An Excellent Art Book for an Excellent Game, November 24, 2004

The majority of you who are reading this mini-review will have played Half-Life 2 and have probably already been bowled over by its sheer quality. The game has made massive strides forward in multiple areas, almost making it a shame that (like every other game accused of being "the best game ever") Half-Life 2 is also probably the greatest graphical achievement in the history of computer and video games. This does nothing to lessen the leaps it makes elsewhere, but it is important that in some way, this achievement is celebrated.

Raising the Bar is this celebration, with countless images from throughout HL2's Six-Year development. Concept Art, 3D Renders, Screenshots and brilliant Poster Art fill the book, accompanied by lines of annotation to give some background to the concepts. And what concepts: Half-Life 2 isn't merely a "good looking game" because it is realistically lit, textured and filled with super shiny surfaces (Like so many supposedly "good looking" games). Half-Life 2 is a wonderful artistic achievement because each and every area has been painstakingly researched, sketched and refined since the initial concepts were laid down by the story designers. Raising the Bar shows you all this: 6 years of damned hard work on paper. It's a testament to the quality of the game that the in-game screenshots aren't there to just fill space: They show the completion of a vision, and look as artistic as the primordial ink and pen concepts that spawned them. In addition, there are details of deleted scenes, with interesting short stories written by HL writer Marc Laidlaw and a few bits of general overview to the developing process. Admitadly, the book is a little thin on actual description of this process (It was originally heralded as a "Making of" Book, but it's now more of an Art Book), but you can still get so much out the images that it's all worthwhile. It all comes in a 288 page Hardback book with excellent print quality and production standards, making it an excellent-value collectable. Certainly a must for any true Half-Life fan, but it's more than that: Anyone with an interest in game design or pre-production art in any medium should own a copy.

The biggest shame is that, (as a Limited Edition) It won't be available for very long. Order your copy now: you won't regret it.

Like I said there, it may be hard to find a copy now. At the very least, Valve's merch store holds copies http://store.valvesoftware.com/

 

[Aspe]

That's a good review. It has also made me anticipate the arrival of my copy yet more...

 

[el Chi]

kupoartist, you used the word "blathering" and for that, if nothing else, you are a king among men.

Also, I can't help but feel it'd be a "read twice, maybe thrice, then maybe dip into it once every so rarely" sort of purchase. Is this right?

I hid a copy of it in GAME on St. Stevens street in norwich last week, as I wanted to buy it later that day, but I forgot, anyone who wants it better go get it, its behind a copy of Party Political Broadcast Tycoon.

WHAT!? I asked in a book-shop and they told me "Nay, mere mortal! Your foolish mind has been deceived and mistakened, for it is not available in this fair land. Nay, thoust must cross the dark waters of the Atlantic to find it in the land of US."
I may have their exact words a bit wrong, but the point is, f*ck the what?

 

[kupocake]

Also, I can't help but feel it'd be a "read twice, maybe thrice, then maybe dip into it once every so rarely" sort of purchase. Is this right?

That's probably true. It just depends on your tastes whether that's such a bad thing. I personally enjoy Art-Books immensely, but I'll hardly read through them more than twice. After that you pick them up and look at the pretty pictures. Nowt wrong with that.

 

[lastHOPE_lambda]

I've been randomly looking into it this very day, 13 months after I got it. Mind you, i'm turning into a bit of a sucker for artbooks, but that's no surprise when I've always enjoyed good design work and failed concepts especially

PS. has anyone been tempted to get a Combine Wall lithographs from the Valve store... I like that picture, but I probably don't have the money (certainly not for the now sold signed prints!). And it's not like I have anywhere I can display it. Now if I had my own place...

I hope that Valve decide to do Raising the Bar type books in the future. Hell, if they randomly did one for Aftermath and the rest of their post RtB stuff, i'd jump on it faster than a fast-zombie on an HEV wearing scientist.

Yeah actually I really did want one of those lithographs but my parents wouldn't let me spend that much money. Even though its my money! anyways Raising the bar is the best I bought it a long time ago and I still haven't stopped looking in it almost every day. It gives me inspiration for my own drawings. Lol I had to get barnes and noble to special order for me.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Get it now or I will kill you in your ****ing sleep.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

as most people here have posted, its a great book if you're a hardcore HL series fan and/or into concept art and making games.

i really enjoyed the concept art and the snipets of info behind each character/monster

 

[Zaffino]

would the boos be sold , say in a barnes & noble? Thats the major book store in my area.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

would the boos be sold , say in a barnes & noble? Thats the major book store in my area.

maybe...ask them.
your best bet is to probably place an order with a bookstore or simply purchase it off the net.

when i got it, not many bookstores had it.. and this was just two weeks after release :|

 

[mattlorimor]

This book is utterly breathtaking. You true Half-Life fans know what I'm talking about. You hold the book and there is just something about it that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then the real fun begins. You open the book and discover all the wonderful concept art, back-stories, unused monsters, etc. This book is definitely a must for the true Half-Life fan. I mean, just look at the cover. *breathe, breathe* :upstare:

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

would the boos be sold , say in a barnes & noble? Thats the major book store in my area.

If your lucky you can find it at games stores like EB Games or Game Stop. I found mine at GS..... Thank God I got there in time.....

 

[Dr. Freeman]

would the boos be sold , say in a barnes & noble? Thats the major book store in my area.

use the link in kupoartist's post.

 

[Sam]

How much will it cost for delivery if it's to the UK?

 

[Aspe]

I ordered mine from the USA via Amazon and the postage was just under £3. Delivery at this price takes apparently two to three weeks.

 

[Sam]

Nice

What about from Valve?

 

[Shodan]

kupoartist, you used the word "blathering" and for that, if nothing else, you are a king among men.

Also, I can't help but feel it'd be a "read twice, maybe thrice, then maybe dip into it once every so rarely" sort of purchase. Is this right?

WHAT!? I asked in a book-shop and they told me "Nay, mere mortal! Your foolish mind has been deceived and mistakened, for it is not available in this fair land. Nay, thoust must cross the dark waters of the Atlantic to find it in the land of US."
I may have their exact words a bit wrong, but the point is, f*ck the what?

It was definatly there, I picked it up and started to read it, but the nerds behind the desk were getting anxious, so to avoid a Chuck Norris style scene, I hid the book and left.

After roundhouse kicking everyone in the store.