Speculation for main feature of HL3(/HL4)

[BaconIsGood4You]

DCS - Dynamic Converstaion System

Immersion was raised to a new level in Half-Life 1 through its innovative storytelling and restrictions to the firstperson perpective.
Immersion was raised again in Halfe-Life 2 through its startling graphics, physics, animation, and voice acting.

The next step in immersing the player is to allow them to directly interact with NPCs. This not only will imporve storytelling, but also gameplay.

GAMEPLAY: Voice recognition will make compelling gameplay, allowing complete control of squads, taunting your foes, or intimidating the enemy with your fearsome battlecry. Yell for suppression fire or create a distraction, call for a medic or tell a soldier to pick up a certain gun (and have no hassle like in HL2). Sound will less realistically over distance and due to objects with sound physics.

STORY: Ever play Half Life and talk to the NPCs? Well now they will respond. Advanced programming will allow NPCs to understand sentences, as well as create basic ones themselves. Story related converstions will be pre-determined, but there will be multiple story paths. Yell at Alyx (Yes she will be alive ) and call her a whore, and maybe she won't show you something or open up a different level path. Kiss up to a CP (Of course sir, I will pick up that can, thank you sir...) and you might get some stares from citizens. There will be multiple personalities for NPCs, a unique one for each main character, and several for regular citizens.

Think it of a combination of Seaman, Socom, and Starwars: Knights of the Republic.

What do you think?

 

[hi_ted]

I actually don't like the idea at all. For a game that's coming out in the next year or two, it's an unnecessary addition.
What I would rather see is an improved AI engine, better physics and better looking models.

 

[Jandor]

I dont like it. Voice Recognition systems NEVER work. EVER.

Although more Squad control would be nice, something more than:

C - Go over there
CC - Come over here

That was so naff. Especially when they wouldn't stay put and got shot down by Snipers, really ruined the immersion.

 

[Agent G-Man]

What about talking to the G-Man?

 

[Gordon's Brother]

player:gman ur gay
gman:dont talk like that,now ill have to kill you like the other 5million people who insulted me

 

[Spectre01]

This is a First Person Shooter. They should just improve your first person shooting. I don't nearly like talking to NPC's as much as I like shooting combine. NPC interaction should always remain secondary in an FPS, because we are really there to shoot stuff and not have a chat.

 

[MarcoPollo]

um...too bad this thread completely ripped off another thread from like a week ago

 

[A True Canadian]

Perhaps being able to play with the elements (mainly fire and water).

Use a flamethrower to burn things, and a water cannon to clear the way.

...maybe not?

I don't know what else there would be to add to the gameplay other than build on what's already there. Like improved AI, more things affected by physics, cooler enemies, and new weapons.

 

[Jandor]

Actually, I like the flamethrower and water idea. Dynamic shiznit like that is what we need.

 

[A True Canadian]

I also want levels with snow. Snow = Cool.





Pun not intended...or was it?

 

[specialmax]

LOok G G im playing with my watery gwun! WEeEEEeEE!
ANd Lo0k sn0w!!! Sn0wBall FighT!!! Thats would it would be like on dm lol...

 

[Barnabas Collins]

I think that in vavle did an amazing job emersing the player in the game, and it really made you feel like you were there. It's really more of an experience than a game.

In the expansion pack or next volume of half life, I hope that the people over at valve think of an even better way to emerse the player in the story. The guys over at valve are innovative people, and im sure, that if they did infact decide to use voice recognition, they would develop a system so that it would run smoothley and have little to no flaws. I cant wait to see what they dooo!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wolvesrdogs]

I reckon if they could master voice recognition it would be mad, but only if the npc were smart enough to respond to you etc. and i dont think that will even basically happen for another 100 years.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Why does everyone only care about shooting things? The HL games were about immersion. If you just want to shoot people, go play Doom.

The voice recognition would be ingenius but unfortunately, I doubt it would work .

 

[hi_ted]

I reckon if they could master voice recognition it would be mad, but only if the npc were smart enough to respond to you etc. and i dont think that will even basically happen for another 100 years.

Personal computers have been around for about 20 years and look at what we have accomplished...

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Personal computers have been around for about 20 years and look at what we have accomplished...

Well, the industry need to check into physics and AI, and with these new PPUs, I guess AIPUs should be the next step. But game AI isn't good enough to warrant a Processor completely devoted to it, so the next big thing I tink is AI.

 

[hi_ted]

Our current problem with AI is that we are moving in the wrong direction. Most AI uses scripting to help the computer think about what to do next. For example, if player is behind a box, strafe left. What should be happening is that we give the computer a choice about what to do and the computer must realise that it has a choice.

 

[ríomhaire]

But computers cannot be given real choice. At least not at the stage we're at.

 

[Jandor]

They can be given probabilitys.

If
the player is behind a box
then
strafe left (50%)
or
strafe right (50%)

Then you might get the illusion that they chose to go one way or another .

 

[15357]

They can be given probabilitys.

If
the player is behind a box
then
strafe left (50%)
or
strafe right (50%)

Then you might get the illusion that they chose to go one way or another .

or,

if enemy is left, strafe right unless another enemy is right....

or somthing like that

 

[jondy]

True AI will be built upon logic like the above anyway. People are built upon logic. The reason why we can't usually predict people's actions is because there are so many factors affecting situations that we have no knowledge of - thus probabilities are a good way of faking said factors.

 

[ríomhaire]

True AI will be built upon logic like the above anyway. People are built upon logic. The reason why we can't usually predict people's actions is because there are so many factors affecting situations that we have no knowledge of - thus probabilities are a good way of faking said factors.

no, computers a built upon logic, humans are very abstract. Did you never see the Matrix?

 

[Unvision]

Umm... yeah.

In other news (on-topic news at that!) they wouldn't do voice recognition. First, it's impractical right now. Second (and more fundamentally) we never hear Gordon talk. It's a key part of the franchise that Gordon is a pawn - he isn't supposed to be able to exert that much control over things.

 

[Jintor]

Heheh, lets see....

I think voice regognition is really not needed. Strange, though - i don't think i've ever seen Halo fans cry out "we need controllable marines! Yarr!".

Although i accept your point that these damn rebels are morons. "Oh look a sniper laser i wonder what happens if i stand in it ugh."

 

[Jandor]

Ooh, Mines, what happens if I walk on it?
Hmm, Good weather today, I might stand in the doorway.
What? You told me to wait over there? Nah...
What? You told me to follow you? I thought you said wait over there.
Hmm, a Grenade, lets take a closer look though in case I'm wrong

Hey everybody, Its Gordon, maybe he can wipe my ass for me.

 

[D.L]

"Hey its Gordon Freeman, lets follow him"
"You were great, i'm sorry is my nose far enough up your ass?"

 

[jondy]

no, computers a built upon logic, humans are very abstract. Did you never see the Matrix?

People are built on logic. We're made up, at the end of the day, of 0's and 1's. The point of my post was, there are so many f'kin digits going on it's impossible to map them all, so probabilities are used as an approximation of the likely outcomes instead.

 

[FireCrack]

Think of every newuron in your brain as a complicated IF statement

 

[BaconIsGood4You]

I really don't know how feasible my idea is, but I assume if Valve devotes themselves to such a feature (like they did for the physics and graphics) they could pull it off. Maybe we will see it in Half-Life 4, I don't know, but I'm certain that this will be the next big step after graphics/physics are as good as they can be.

The whole reason Gordon doesn't talk is because it immerses you in the game and makes you respond to what they say, I don't see why allowing the player to respond would be against Half-Life style.

 

[Blakeb155]

You should try ringing the main Australian phone company (telstra) there voice recgonition is horrible.

Computer lady: Please state you problem.
Person: My phoneline isn't working.
Computer lady: I'm sorry, I don't know what your saying, please repeat it.

:x Voice Recognition doesn't work!

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Ooh, Mines, what happens if I walk on it?
Hmm, Good weather today, I might stand in the doorway.
What? You told me to wait over there? Nah...
What? You told me to follow you? I thought you said wait over there.
Hmm, a Grenade, lets take a closer look though in case I'm wrong

Hey everybody, Its Gordon, maybe he can wipe my ass for me.

Well, I've seen worse AI, Max Payne 2- the enemy blew themselves up with their own grenades 9 times out of 10.

 

[bboymatty]

i got an idea! rather than wait for a whole host of new and unnesicary features, wouldnt u rather the third game come out soonish??

i know i would, i want to get the story over with before i forget about it and move on.

 

[mime genocide]

well since there still using the source engine it will be 3-4 years. in that time physics will have its own card and most games will have heavily destuctive levels so id say that they'ed try 3d fluid dyamics, a radiosity based rendered and very advanced ai due to the cpu being free of physics.

 

[JellyWorld]

Why would they need a physics card? cards are for interacting with hardware, i don't think computer's have physics hardware.

 

[Gordon's Brother]

it would probably come with the game
ADVERTISMENT:buy half life 3,the sequel to the popular hl and hl2,free physics card included!

 

[Ennui]

I hope that Black Mesa Source comes out before HL3, so I can play beautiful versions of the first two games in preparation for the third.

 

[MarcoPollo]

Well, I've seen worse AI, Max Payne 2- the enemy blew themselves up with their own grenades 9 times out of 10.

No no no. Worst AI ever=freedom fighters

You: Attack over there team!
Team:Oh well a direct path is nice and easy but i think ill go all the way around just to find that i will get shot and trapped!
You:god damnit!
You: Follow me team!
Team: What? I thought you told us to run into walls and walk in circles!
You: Defend this position!
Team: Naw, I'd rather go up those stairs for no apparent reasson.

 

[Adabiviak]

I don't know

I think they will shy away from voice recognition. It's not worth the CPU cycles - they'd probably rather use this on better physics or AI. (On a side note, does anyone think Halo's AI is pretty good? Not hard per se, but really fun?) Remember, the game has to be enjoyably playable by a great number of people, and a great number of people don't have systems that could handle good physics, AI, graphics and voice recognition at the same time. How many people's systems can't handle this game's features in their entirety right now? I do like the idea of a physics card, but I'm dubious about the future of that endeavor.

What I think would make the game a definite success is to add monsters (lots! go crazy, Valve!). That's my personal preference. I liked Opposing Force slightly more than Half Life (for replay value) because there were more monsters and weapons. A trip to Xen or the Combine world, anything would be a plus. I think everyone remembers the first time they arrived in Xen in the first Half Life - I had NO idea that was coming and it was the best surprise ever. Theoretically, the Combine have been stopped on Earth (at the end of HL2). At the end of HL1, the Combine were stopped on Xen. Where to next? Go after the Combine! :sniper: