Valve and the Enduring and Ever Critical Reputation of the Half Life Saga

[Grant Morrison]

first of all this is my last episode 3 post (avoiding this forum section until news surfaces).

Looking at a lot of game companies, Bungie being a major example, I think developers get frustrated working on a immensely successful title for 10 + years. Eventually they like to try and create new types of games but get criticized by their community for not making the next installment in their popular main franchise. Look at Michael Bay and transformers, he has been working on them pretty much non-stop for the last 4 + years and is getting sick of only thinking about them but that’s what the publishers and fan base wants.

With valve they have come up with great content, Left 4 Dead(s), Portal 2, Alien Swarm, Defense of the Ancients, expanding Steam content and service....but no matter what they do or what surprises they have (coughPortal2revealcough) they get non-stop hate from their community for not saying ANYTHING about half life.

I think the next half life game might be their last so they can continue to acquire more independent companies and put out great new, unique, innovative, smart products without being criticized for not doing the right thing. Maybe this is why Episode 3/Half-Life 3 has taken so long. But with a February 2011 Portal 2 release, they have to have something BIG for E3 2011 to show for the year 2012. Of the possible big releases we have Episode 3, Counter Strike 2, and Left 4 Dead 3. I think if CS2 is released it will help complete/complement Ep. 3....one bundle offering one of the best single player games and one of the best multiplayer games.

What do you guys think?

 

[blackout]

valve have stated that episode 3 or whatever comes next is not the end.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Given the complexity of the environments, gameplay types and enhanced lighting and shading in the latest vid for portal 2, my guess is they're exploring technologies, whether or not the demands of Ep3/HL3 will be the purpose behind these new technolgies or be the by-product is yet to be known.

 

[Shem]

Time will tell. While they do have the ability to sum up the story in Episode Three, they've already supposedly stated they won't. I think they still have a few more things up their sleeves to deliver before they even think about ending one of the greatest franchises of all time.

 

[Deathstrike]

Ep3/HL3 will be the purpose behind these new technolgies or be the by-product is yet to be known.

Maybe a good implementation of DMM ?

 

[Naph]

The community hates the developer for not revealing a game they have in store? I wouldn't call that hate. I'd call that whining.

 

[JUL3]

Half-Life is Valve's baby, they're not gonna kill their baby.

 

[Insano]

Did you just compare Valve to Michael Bay?

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Maybe a good implementation of DMM ?

I would laugh if Gordon had the ability to kick wooden objects, only for him to get his leg stuck in the wooden door, or to re-role Gordon as Jack Nicholson in the Shining with a crowbar

 

[Grant Morrison]

lol sorry maybe not the best analogy with Valve and MB. I guess the Bungie one works better. They have been working with Halo since about the same time Valve has with HL. Instead of continuously making more halo titles they want to move on and try a fresh setting, create new characters, different story, and different type of universe.

As much as hl is valve's baby, I don't think they want to always want to be known as the hl team. Plus things change. Maybe since they never planned the story past one or more game(s) they feel they can end the series. The combine is most likely prevented going back to earth and all that remains is the borealis, which after Eli's death I feel Gordon and Alex are more likely to destroy then use the machine. Plus half life 3 or 4 (?) is going to take 4-8 more years. Does valve really want to work 20ish years on one game franchise?

All in all what I am trying to get at is, I think valve (while always respecting what the hl franchise has done to the company) wants to move on from HL titles and put out new and popular stuff faster with the results of left4dead. They said after hl2 was released that they got frustrated when they worked a long time on a project and don't get feedback on the current progress of that game. l4d and portal 2 I think are answers to that problem. Fast produced, immensely popular, and thus quicker feedback from their community.

 

[rjthrog]

who's to say that a 20 year plan for a franchise wont work...look at super mario bros...i think as long as the games are high quality and people are buying them, valve should put out as many as they want...it might take a while but i'll still buy them, just as long as its good games they're putting out and not total sh*t

Im also all for them making different games. I've liked everything they've put out. I still think that ep.3 should be next but i have a feeling that they got some other game or idea in the works and then ep3 or hl3 whichever one will come out

 

[Paulaner]

The franchise is the same but, in my opinion, Valve has already tried different ways. Looking at HL1 and HL2, I see two different games: look, feel and gameplay are different. Engine apart, they are easily distinguishable.
HL2 and Episodes, yes, those games are more or less the same rehashed things. After all these years, if Ep3 was to be like Ep1/2, that would disappoint me.

 

[Stormy]

they get non-stop hate from their community for not saying ANYTHING about half life.

What do you guys think?

I don't know anyone that hates Valve for not releasing a new half life every year.

I think your an idiot.

 

[Druckles]

I don't know anyone that hates Valve for not releasing a new half life every year.

It's been almost three years with no news from Valve.

 

[Stormy]

It's been almost three years with no news from Valve.

So what?

I really dont see the big deal... play something else... there is plenty to choose from. Or go outside and party.

They have released other great titles in that time and its not like everyone has been working on them and ignoring ep3. They have a massive team at valve and a large team would have been on ep3.

Its great they are taking their time and keeping their mouth shut. It just means its going to be longer and play fantastically. I hope they dont release anything for another 2 years.

 

[Druckles]

You are being surprisingly defensive. I don't understand why.

They have not released anything in almost three years on a series they promised to keep up-to-date more regularly with episodic content. Take into account that the time between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 was 6 years, and another three years for two episodes on the same engine, that's quite a while with no news from Valve. They have every right to grumble a bit and it's doing no harm to you.

Calling people idiots when you can't grasp the difference between "your" and "you're" is foolish.

 

[Paulaner]

The guys at Valve have clearly changed their mind about episodic content (and they admitted that the idea didn't work as they intended). They decided to go for Mac, update Steam, update Source, release and update other games, turn Portal into a flagship title, and so on.
The next Half-Life will be eventually released, but it's unlikely that it will be an "episode". Episodes are gone, in my humble opinion.

 

[Stormy]

You are being surprisingly defensive. I don't understand why.

They have not released anything in almost three years on a series they promised to keep up-to-date more regularly with episodic content. Take into account that the time between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 was 6 years, and another three years for two episodes on the same engine, that's quite a while with no news from Valve. They have every right to grumble a bit and it's doing no harm to you.

I just don't see why games are so important to people. I'm looking forward to it as much as the next fan boy but I'm happy to wait as long as it takes because I know they are going to do an amazing job. Sitting complaining on forums will make no difference.

I suspect they are working on a new engine, and will release episode 3 as a very large game on a new spangly engine.

 

[Anauteus]

There are two ways to handle developing a highly popular game series.

1. Metal Gear Solid way. Kojima, and the FOX team behind him have been making Metal Gear Solid games consecutively over the past 12 years. Each game move gameplay, story, graphics, and design forwards. But they do not explore any other games, choosing to continue until Metal Gear can finally be wrapped up. (Probably when the remakes of the 8-16 bit MSX games happen.)

2. Valve. Produce an incredible game, and then use that success to follow a creative wave of innovation on other titles, then returning to that franchise to "reinvent it" every 5 years or so. On one hand, you have great games come in-between, but then followers of the original get peeved (unjustly so) because you haven't been working on the master-game for quite some time.

Not saying one is better than the other. I love Half-Life and Metal Gear equally. It's just different design philosophies. Same as injecting the player into the narrative completely (Half-Life) and displaying the narrative as best as humanly possible externally. (Metal Gear Solid.)

 

[Tunnelsnake]

valve have stated that episode 3 or whatever comes next is not the end.

Where did you hear that at?

 

[tropicalmonsoon]

While I like a surprise and think that valve should not release any information about EP3, they could keep us informed about their progress. I don't mind at all if it takes ages to come out, or if they don't release any info about the game's content (actually, I don't want them to release much, if any info about the content of the game), but an indication of progress every-now-and-then would be nice

It doesn't mean valve have to rush it, or put out a release date. They could just say things like: "We've been set back a couple of months because of [insert issue]" or "We have had to stop working on EP3 altogether for several months until [insert project] is finished, but once thats released we'll move our main focus back to EP3".

Those sorts of statements would be very welcome :cheers:

 

[EversorAssassin]

Its been said hundreds of times. Episode 3 will conclude the CURRENT story arch, but there's plenty more to come after that.

I was totally quoting and replying to Tunnelsnake's post here. I failed, and I don't feel like fixing it.

 

[flamingdts]

Half Life 3 will be released along with Valve's new engine.

You can almost book that.

 

[tropicalmonsoon]

Its been said hundreds of times. Episode 3 will conclude the CURRENT story arch, but there's plenty more to come after that.

I was totally quoting and replying to Tunnelsnake's post here. I failed, and I don't feel like fixing it.

Yes, the amazing Half life 2 series can't really end with Alyx crying over her dad. It doesn't really wrap the whole thing up.