Who at Valve contributes the most to the finished product?

[spitcodfry]

I was just thinking, out of all the departments and roles that the employees at Valve serve, which contribute the most to the meat and potatoes of the game? Sure, none of the game's elements would work well without the others, but what do you think is most vital to the overall oomph that the game possesses? Being an amateur weaver of tales, I believe the story is the most essential, for it draws you deeper into the world and allows you to care for your AI buddies and loathe your enemies. Sure, thats an almost unheard of element in FPS, but I think that Half-Life 2 will break that barrier. Thoughts, comments, opinions?

 

[nw909]

Gabe, he founded VALVe, therefore the game would have never been made otherwise.

 

[LoneDeranger]

Well I think it's either programming or model/level design. Programming is always a pain in the a**.

 

[Guest]

I would have to say valve

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

I'd go with alb1221's answer.

 

[Guest]

Your mom





All seriously, they all work as hard as they can. But I see gabe's face more than any other person that has todo with anything in games.

 

[Steven Q Urkle]

gabe probalaly is classic boss,
golfing all day, coming in late, not doing anything

 

[spitcodfry]

Originally posted by Steven Q Urkle
gabe probalaly is classic boss,
golfing all day, coming in late, not doing anything

I will assume for the time being that you are being sarcastic. That man works his a$$ off, and for good rea$on.

 

[ApocalypseNow]

Me, I contributed the most...

 

[Orange]

without any of the categories listed, the game would suck.

I don't think importance can be put on one more than another

but if i had to id say art and story seperate hl from others. art because the concept art serves as a huge basis for everything else.

But, like i said. the whole team

 

[Nostradamus]

i am gabe newell...i did nothing at all....but i like cheese burgers...

 

[piGfreeZer]

Gabe is a programmer, thus programming contributes the most to the finished product.

 

[Animal]

The gaborz?

 

[Chris D]

That question can't be answered.

They all work as hard as each other, there won't be one department that contributes more than another. It'd be pretty much equal.

 

[Think]

I think we contributes most

 

[Ridic]

Well obviously if someone wasnt needed in valve they wouldnt be hired. Everyone of them contribute to the game. Im sure 98% of them are hardworking people who like their games just as much as we do.

 

[Prince of China]

Probably anyone who bought the original Half-Life contributes the most, without OUR money, Valve wouldn't have enough for Half-Life 2.

 

[Logic]

Content creators contribute to how the game looks and sounds, but it's the programmers who create the "feel" of the game - the programmers are the people who make the game a game - a playable and fun experience.

It's very close, though, each department contributes just about equally.

 

[droper]

writers and plot is everyhing i can play a 2d 16bit graphic game as long as the story is good i am interested

 

[Dagobert]

Somone's got to be the vision holder, the guy who makes the tough calls (cancel that, prostpone that, re-work that) and the guy who puts his own personal money on the line.

It's the boss. Gabe.

but it's the programmers who create the "feel" of the game - the programmers are the people who make the game a game - a playable and fun experience.

What a load of bloody nonsense.

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by Dagobert
What a load of bloody nonsense.

Think about it: What fun are you going to have looking through map files, textures and mp3s? HL\HL2 are games, and if they weren't fun to play (as in if you didn't enjoy moving around, shooting, etc) you wouldn't like them. The programmers not only create the playability, but tweak it until it's fun as chatting on these forums, which is really fun!*

Sure they are directed by the designers and project leaders, but without the hard work from the programmers, all you've got is content, no game.

* Not on mondays, tuesdays, wednesdays, or thurday to sunday, 53 weeks a year

 

[Llevar]

In terms of games in general (valve is not likely to be bound to developing halflife games forever) I personally would say it's the creative team and level designers/architects. Programming components are pretty generic and can be swapped out for other programming components with same functionality without you feeling too much of a difference. The project manager is of incredible importance but most able ones will do similar things in similar situation. The people that create the actual world, on the other hand, are the ones that give the game its identity. A game done by two different sets of artists would really be two games. It would be like asking Van Gogh and Boticelli to paint the same scene and comparing the two paintings. The mood and the whole experience is bound to be different.

The reason I think that story is secondary is that playing a game is primarily a visual experience, and for that reason I believe that the creative aspect of game creation is of utmost importance. Playing a game is very different from reading a book in that with the book your only source of information is the book itself and the rest is supplied by your imagination. When you are playing a game you have a variety of inputs like images, sound, and narrative. In my eyes the visual part is predominant. This is not to say that any other part that has been mentioned is not important, or even vital, to the creation of a great game.

For half-life specifically I would have to say that it's programming and level design. While the creative team gives the game its identity, it is often the programming team in conjunction with the level designers that gives the game longevity. Graphics get dated relatively fast but great gameplay reigns supreme for many years, to which Counter-strike is a living testament. One of half-life's biggest pitches to consumers is the ability to modify the game. Thus, in this particular case, the efforts of the artists serve the purpose of showcasing what can be done with the source engine, in the hope that it will get other artists' and designers' creative juices flowing and in the end will result in the engine being used for making great games for many years to come.

 

[cyborgguineapig]

**IDIOTS**

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by cyborgguineapig
**IDIOTS**

Now here's a contender for post of the day... Short and concise, yet useful, productive and insightful.

 

[Dagobert]

Sure they are directed by the designers and project leaders, but without the hard work from the programmers, all you've got is content, no game.

yes, but the feel and stuff you talk about is created by designers. The equivalent of what you say is that the company that makes the oil paint is repsonsible for the emotional content of a painting.

 

[Logic]

I guess you're right. The creation of a game is a highly collaborative experience, so I'd say that HL\HL2 are what they are because of the input from each and every individual in Valve, so we should probably just give them all equal credit. After all, it only takes one aspect of a game to be unsuccessful to spoil the whole experience.

 

[Dagobert]

You'd still have to give the boss the most credit, even if it's because he hired the people who hired the people.

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by Dagobert
You'd still have to give the boss the most credit, even if it's because he hired the people who hired the people.

I guess that's kind of true, but that's a little bit like saying that someone who gives someone else a gun is the most responsible for a murder. :cheese: I know what you mean though, and I guess to an extent, it's true, since without the boss' direction in the first place, the project may never have come about at all.

 

[Orange]

But what about the people who decided to take the offer the boss provides lol

Its neat we can argue about this, we wouldn;t if one of the aspects of HL really sucked(art[artists], programming[programmers], playability[designers/testers/whole team?], story[writer]).

so we can argue over something trivial because none of them are greatly flawed! HURRAY!:bounce:

 

[Dagobert]

The very fact that no aspect of HL2 sucks proved that the management are doing their job.

 

[crabcakes66]

Where is the "all of the above"


It takes everyone to make the finished game........

without each individual contribution it would not be complete.......so who contributes what or more is a moot point.



fix your dizzamn poll

 

[Dunsel]

Well said Crabcakes66.

And, in addition to that, I have to point out that a specific process Valve uses daily is also a major factor in the tremendous quality of products that Valve produces.

For more info on that, search for "Cabal" and Valve for articles about the making of Half-Life 1, or just buy "The Making Of Half-Life 2" book that will come out in the next few months.

 

[Direwolf]

I was under the impression that they didn't use much of the cabal process for HL2. (In the info thread I think)

 

[Parasite]

Well noone contributes more than the enslaved monkey tribe they lock in the basement, but you left that out of the poll.

Honestly, Everyone creates an equal share, the game NEEDS an immense amount of writing/story, the game NEEDS an immense amount of coding,the game NEEDS an immense amount of Level Design the game NEEDS an immense amount of art/models/sound/music etc...or there is no game. No single peice can be left out of the puzzle or the entire thing will fall apart.

Seriously, If you think 1 department contributes more than another, try to imagine what game that department would make without all the others...