What are your thoughts on the previous year?

[CrazyHarij]

After almost a year of waiting, the release of the game is not that far away, and we can all smell the hype growing bigger and bigger.

There has been long periods of a complete lack of new info and such, until a bunch of game magazines went to playtest the game at Valve in April and screenshots went up all over the internet, and in early May the E3 demonstration video was released, blowing off the socks of nearly every single person aware of the videogame industry.

In my opinion, it was good for Valve to leave the community in a sort of cryo-sleep until they suddenly released all these screenshots and the video, it sort of made people forget the delay and the leak event and such.

What do you think? Could they handle it in a better way, or has the year 2004 been as good as it could've been in the terms of the HL2 community?

Discuss.. or something..

 

[CptStern]

I havent been waiting all that long, just since september of last year when I first saw the e3 2003 demo, I've been hooked ever since.

I think valve has handled themselves pretty well after so many setbacks: source code theft, missed released dates and irate fans. The only area that I though valve dropped the ball was in the ati/hl2 deals, but that was probably inked way before the first missed release date...it just didnt make them look good even though it was beyond their control

 

[Vegeta897]

I swear if someone votes pie... Heads will roll.

It was great, mainly because we were convinced it was coming out that same year. And plus it blew us all away at E3.
This year was great also, an amazing E3 and Magazine playtests and open-arms visits.

 

[marksmanHL2 :)]

Well..


I think the year was Fairly good. The only way it could have been improved would have been with a little more detail on when they think the SDK will be ready in my opinion. Its bugging alot of people in my experience.

But yeah. Overall. Excelent.

 

[Gorgon]

pretty good.

 

[Letters]

I swear if someone votes pie... Heads will roll.

Oops. :O

I don't really know what to think yet...

 

[SMT]

Love that pie. Hot damn. I just love it.

 

[Headwires]

i was hyped back up untill nov last year then i lost faith and interest. but with the previews and vids it got me interested again and here i am checking the forums for a REAL hl2 gold thread...

 

[Vegeta897]

WHO!?!?!?! WHO!!?! AHHHHH!!! *sprays 2 mp7's while spinning around like a madman screaming*
mmm pie.

I know who did it can't take the guilt... I will find you.

Another note, I agree they could have given more info about the sdk last year. Also, this year will be good because the game will be out.

EDIT: Letters... say your last words... and your last hot chick avatar...

 

[CrazyHarij]

i was hyped back up untill nov last year then i lost faith and interest. but with the previews and vids it got me interested again and here i am checking the forums for a REAL hl2 gold thread...

Yeah, sort of the same procedure for me.. But I'm not TOO optimistic on the estimated release date, but still it's not that far away, unless they delay the game one more time, which I highly doubt.

 

[UltimaGecko]

I vote pretty bad, but only from the mild dishonesty standpoint around September 30th and the hacking, and the minor speculation over an April release.

Not based on the game or personal customer service...since they've divulged little of the actual story, and personal emails are answered promptly. Blandness in offering information is fine with me: you can't force people to give you things that belong to them - especially when they're in a higher posistion of power. Valve will present us with the information they want to present us with, when they want to.

Personally, I would have just given a small E3 2003 presentation, and a decent E3 2004 and then a fairly large release of info when it goes gold (mostly from previewers). That, instead of the huge E3 2003 stuff, mediocre E3 2004 [story is nice, but I would have given a little less in story, and a little more on technology] and slow leak of info since April.

I think the hacking and leaking of HL2 info would be the biggest kink in the works...but then again, if you don't give people info to look forward to so much, then they leave you alone. I'm the kind of guy who likes an explosion of info about 8 months before release - like it's out of the blue...Sortof like Prince of Persia...except not-since I hate that game.

...I'd prefer there was an "Okay, but nothing special" option instead, really.

 

[Chuckstar]

I think they handled it pretty well. Must have been hard for them with all the stress involved. Hate to say it, but I like the lack of info... Too much info spoils the game.

 

[-kinematik-]

i love pie. especially apple. mmmmmm...

but seriously though, i think they handled it alright, i wouldnt say good or bad. you didnt have a voting option for that one though.

 

[CrazyHarij]

i love pie. especially apple. mmmmmm...

but seriously though, i think they handled it alright, i wouldnt say good or bad. you didnt have a voting option for that one though.

I consider that option being "pie"

 

[712]

I kinda lost interest in HL2 around November last year, I think it was the time I started to walk outside...

Anyway, found the Bink's on my computer for about 2 months ago, and I have been visiting this site every day. That's obsession!

Anyway, I think they handle the 30th release date thing bad, but on the other hand, they never said like, "well in a month, you will see the game" and just drag the release, they shut down, and worked hard. And by admitting they were overoptimistic about 30th september, that was a good thing. Conclusion?

Pie..... (Pretty good..)

 

[FoxDie]

Pie is starting to catch up to the other votes

 

[CrazyHarij]

Pie is starting to catch up to the other votes

I knew it! people can't resist the darn thing


mmmmm pie

 

[blahblahblah]

I voted pie.

I really don't know what I would rate Valve since I post in a forum about HL2, I think it makes me really biased. I think I would be happier if Valve would release info to fan sites (HL2.net, halflifesource.com) rather than to magazines and general gaming websites.

 

[jonesey2k]

put it this way, a year is a hell of a long time to make a great game better....
But i voted pie as I had to wait a whole year!

 

[oldagerocker]

bring on teh pie!

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Oops. :O

I don't really know what to think yet...

don't worry.. that avatar of urs might just save u

as for how Valve handled things through the year... i guess it could have been better.. but than again life ain't perfect either..

i think despite the long wait and such Valve have done a pretty good job of keeping most of the game secret/tight lipped and just releasing enough media and doing interviews carefully that when the game releases, its still gonna go like hotcakes

i view things like this: maybe Valve learned a thing or two from all this and they will be ready for what HL3 shall bring about :E

 

[HeadcrabOnMyAss]

Hype is growing again, but the community is not nearly as big, or hyped as it was a year ago at this point. I remember waiting for the bink video's to pop up, and when they did, posts about them grew to 1000's of pages in minutes because everyone would just flood and flood them with *excitment*

I'm still really looking forward to HL2, but I'm not nearly as hyped as I was a year ago.

I can't wait for Unreal Engine 3 though, looks sooooooo damn sexy, and the physics don't look half bad either...

 

[TMPer Tantrum]

Ooooh! Floor Pie!

 

[FoxDie]

When they announce HL3, all we have to do is +1 year to their official release date, and then we'll have it

 

[Andy]

also, would you rather be waiting for HL2 this year, where it will be much better, or would you rather have had it released in its lesser state last year?

 

[Rupertvdb]

^this guy is a wanker....don't trust him, he gives poisoned sweets to children, i saw him touching an old man in a park.

On topic it's gotta be Pie because of the insanity i felt at times waiting for the damn thing.