Why Gordon will never have the portal gun

[ellimanest]

I was thinking about ep3 possibilities, and it struck me that it is very, VERY unlikely that Gordon, or anyone else you hang around with, will get the portal gun. Heres why, other all of the half life series, excluding the other games like BS and OP4, you have never seen Gordon Freeman. If you had the Portal gun, you could simply shoot 2 portals next to each other and tada! Imagine Gordons reaction. He'd probably fall over and start babbling like a baby. I highly doubt Valve will all of a sudden think its okay to finally see yourself as Gordon. It would break the point that you are Gordon, if ya no what i mean.

 

[Tomu]

Yes of course, I think everyone knows that by now but I guess this could be info for the noobs that really want Gordon to have the portal in ep3.

 

[Druckles]

It's already been said. There's practically an identical topic to it. Go Lurk

 

[giant384]

you think valve would have already though of that lol....it may be that you might not get to use the gun but i hope there will be some portals that you have to go through.

 

[leib10]

Anybody notice how there is now an (albeit blank) player model in the Source SDK? Correct me if it was already there.

 

[Omnomnick]

We all know Valve are abit too lazy to be bother to make a player model for a single player game, just look at Portal, the animations were stiff and the head moves through the top of the portals

 

[morgs]

Yeah and did you see those jump animations? They were pretty bad.

 

[Absinthe]

Yes, because despite the immense work and effort that goes into creating every other character or entity in the game, it's clear that Valve doesn't make a player model due to a lack of effort.

Please take me back to a pre-Episode 2 state of the forums so there are less dweebs in the HL2 sections.

 

[Druckles]

Please take me back to a pre-Episode 2 state of the forums so there are less dweebs in the HL2 sections.

You've got to think in Portals.

 

[kupocake]

I was thinking about ep3 possibilities, and it struck me that it is very, VERY unlikely that Gordon, or anyone else you hang around with, will get the portal gun. Heres why, other all of the half life series, excluding the other games like BS and OP4, you have never seen Gordon Freeman. If you had the Portal gun, you could simply shoot 2 portals next to each other and tada! Imagine Gordons reaction. He'd probably fall over and start babbling like a baby. I highly doubt Valve will all of a sudden think its okay to finally see yourself as Gordon. It would break the point that you are Gordon, if ya no what i mean.

We've been past countless reflective surfaces in the Source powered games, and we've never once seen Gordon. What makes you think that just because we can see Chell in Portal, that we HAVE to see Gordon if he ever encounters the Portal Gun? He'll just be invisible like he's been every time we've looked in metrocop-reflecting water.

 

[kineaesth]

Okay, yes, obviously it will never happen.


/thread over?

 

[Operational]

There are two major reasons why Gordon won't get the Portal Gun. The first being the one you stated. The second is the amount of player training that is required to use it, most of portal is player training.

 

[giant384]

There are two major reasons why Gordon won't get the Portal Gun. The first being the one you stated. The second is the amount of player training that is required to use it, most of portal is player training.

why the hell would you need training to shoot a portal at a wall....portal was a bunch of clever portal puzzles. its essentially all training but its still part of the game. besides most people who are into the half life series better well have played portal since they tie into each other.

 

[Iron_cube]

We've been past countless reflective surfaces in the Source powered games, and we've never once seen Gordon. What makes you think that just because we can see Chell in Portal, that we HAVE to see Gordon if he ever encounters the Portal Gun? He'll just be invisible like he's been every time we've looked in metrocop-reflecting water.

That'd just look dumb.

80% of the players would complain about it, and all the reviewers would create some massive drama out of it.

Looking down at water isn't the same thing since its all disorted and not really meaningful to the gameplay mechanics.

 

[dead-memory]

lol the ony way i see it happening without a palyer model of gordon is that it gets corrupted somehow then the holes look diffrent

 

[nipples]

Haha, it would be awesome if they had the portal gun in the game and if you looked through a portal instead of seeing yourself you see the G-man or Barney.

 

[LandStander]

Not to mention that Half Life has fall damage while Portal does not. Unless of course Gordon wants to strap on those leggings.

 

[giant384]

Not to mention that Half Life has fall damage while Portal does not. Unless of course Gordon wants to strap on those leggings.

and that makes it not ok to put a portal gun in the game how?

 

[Iron_cube]

It'd make it much funnier in my opinion.

Oh shit! Infinite paradox fall!

*splat*

 

[kupocake]

That'd just look dumb.

80% of the players would complain about it, and all the reviewers would create some massive drama out of it.

Sure it would look dumb, but it hardly breaks the game does it? Valve have already proved they can have the model visible if they want to, and I think you really over-estimate people's whining power. I mean, you don't hear people complaining about them magically giving the HEV suit an independent flashlight for no in-game reason. What would stop them from adding in Gordon model once the necessity of a feature finally outweighs those design decisions that were made several years ago? And how is seeing a Gordon Model any more of a important element of 'gameplay mechanics' than seeing him in water?

And why does anyone seriously believe that a game-company would axe plans to bring forward a new gameplay-enabling weapon based solely on whether you can or cannot see a character model whilst you use it? It's far more likely that the gun will be axed because either:
a) it proves impossible to put it to use in a game populated by moving AI entities without unforeseen months of engine development.
b) Cheap and Effective solutions to a) (no portals on floors, large sections of the game that are AI only, contrived plot points that inhabit / allow use of the gun) make for an inferior end-product than if the Gun simply wasn't in use.

The second is the amount of player training that is required to use it, most of portal is player training.

Well exactly.... Portal IS the player training for any Half-Life 2 Episode jaunt with the weapon. They'll remind us of its mechanics and set us off on our merry way.

 

[giant384]

lol kupoartist i just thought of something by reading your post. what if valve used his hev suit but his helmet was kind of tinted so you cant see his face.

 

[Omnomnick]

Valve also stated a third reason.

'Npcs find portals confusing and therefor cannot navigate'

This would mean Alyx or whoever could not follow you, meaning the player could quite easily escape from the NPCs.

Also, Portal was all in enclosed spaces, giving the player the option to use the portal gun in and outdoor environment would mean valve would have to make massive areas or just blaintly obvious barries.

 

[Operational]

Well exactly.... Portal IS the player training for any Half-Life 2 Episode jaunt with the weapon. They'll remind us of its mechanics and set us off on our merry way.

There is no chance that Ep3 will require the player to have finished Portal first.

Gordon will never get a Portal gun, but Chell might get some weapons. Portal combat is inevitable at some stage, I just don't think Gordon will be the one to do it.

 

[Absinthe]

Portal gun will not be in Episode 3. Get over it, folks.

 

[Druckles]

I mean, you don't hear people complaining about them magically giving the HEV suit an independent flashlight for no in-game reason.

Yes you do. I did, for a start. Didn't mind too much, because it's Half-Life.

But seriously, there's a big difference with changing the interface or HUD of a game, to actually not doing something. It'd be like having bodies fade out again. Just ridiculous.

I think the fall damage argument sums it up for me, you're not going to get the Portal gun.

And besides, you have to get all the way to the damn Borealis first, and we all know Chell's run off with the Portal gun. And besides, Kleiner mentioned it's got the ability to ruin the combine... and the Portal gun isn't that great.

 

[giant384]

hows does the fall damage sum up that it wont be in there?

you guys dont think at all about the possibilities that valve can do.......

stop thinking about how portal was done and think about how you can use the portal gun in ep3.

for all we know gordon might get a pair of the robot legs that can allow him to fall that high. WE DONT KNOW, but don't just kill it off because so and so did this portal so it cant be done in any other source game; thats just pure bs imo.

 

[Crazy_killer]

Or you just listen to the developer commentary saying that the Portal engine is modified from the HL one so no there will be no portalgun in ep3. You can also see a player gets a wide intro into Portal, how to use the gun and what effects there are, I dn't see this happening in ep3.

 

[giant384]

Or you just listen to the developer commentary saying that the Portal engine is modified from the HL one so no there will be no portalgun in ep3. You can also see a player gets a wide intro into Portal, how to use the gun and what effects there are, I dn't see this happening in ep3.

mod of the hl engine????? um no

 

[Absinthe]

Portal is so far removed from HL2's gameplay that it would be out of place having that kind of gun in it.

Much of Portal was training. It was an extensive process that was meant to equip you with the knowledge needed to beat its second half. This would be a time-consuming process that would take up a good chunk of the episode's time. It would be foolish to bank on the assumption that everybody's played Portal before and therefore little introduction is needed. More foolish is assuming that everybody wants Portal gameplay in their HL experience. I enjoy both immensely, but ultimately I want HL to be an engrossing first-person shooter. Not a puzzle game.

 

[Boogaloo]

I have a N00bish and crappy idea

*Crap alert, read at you own peril, spoiler tags have been put in for your own safety*

Spoiler

Maybe the portals didn't provide a visual link, and you know when only one portal is shot, and it's like a sea of colour, maybe the portals work like that in ep3, and you cant see inbetween but you can walk thu them. also, the time you are in possesion of the portal gun, there are no NPCs. perhaps you trapped and use the portal gun to get out but a security system destrys the gun

*end of complete crap*

 

[jabberwock95]

Personally, I think the chances of Gordon getting his hands on the portal gun are near zero. If he ever did, it would have to be for a short time only in a specially designed area of the game.

Saying that, I think the Borealis will probably be rife with other callbacks to Portal. Maybe some ready-made portals about the place to use, or even 'thinking with portals'-style problems that Gordon has to solve in other ways due to his lack of portal-gun.

 

[giant384]

I have a N00bish and crappy idea

*Crap alert, read at you own peril, spoiler tags have been put in for your own safety*

Spoiler

Maybe the portals didn't provide a visual link, and you know when only one portal is shot, and it's like a sea of colour, maybe the portals work like that in ep3, and you cant see inbetween but you can walk thu them. also, the time you are in possesion of the portal gun, there are no NPCs. perhaps you trapped and use the portal gun to get out but a security system destrys the gun

*end of complete crap*

at least your thinking of new ideas unlike these other losers. your idea isn't half bad.

Personally, I think the chances of Gordon getting his hands on the portal gun are near zero. If he ever did, it would have to be for a short time only in a specially designed area of the game.

Saying that, I think the Borealis will probably be rife with other callbacks to Portal. Maybe some ready-made portals about the place to use, or even 'thinking with portals'-style problems that Gordon has to solve in other ways due to his lack of portal-gun.

this is the exact thing i was talking about in one of my above post. you all seem to think that it would be exactly like portal and that every level will be like that....

 

[Boogaloo]

at least your thinking of new ideas unlike these other losers. your idea isn't half bad.

thanks

 

[Druckles]

Why would the Portal Gun suddenly change? And besides, where would you use it?? There aren't walls covered in portal able places.

 

[giant384]

Why would the Portal Gun suddenly change? And besides, where would you use it?? There aren't walls covered in portal able places.

the portal gun will be exactly the same. you expect only one wall to work? there were like only 2 or 3 textures in portal. 2 of them that you were able to shoot at and the others were metal walls.

 

[Absinthe]

at least your thinking of new ideas unlike these other losers. your idea isn't half bad.

Well, fuck you too.

And no, the idea is bad. A large part of using portals effectively is being able to predict where you will land. The ability to see through a portal is invaluable for this, and removing it would be at the detriment to the player.

this is the exact thing i was talking about in one of my above post. you all seem to think that it would be exactly like portal and that every level will be like that....

Because that's all that is conceivable at this point. It's already been stated that NPCs can't maneuver through portals, so what else could possibly done other than a variation of Portal's gameplay at this point? How would you suggest harmonizing the games' two radically different mechanics?

Just because Portal is a great game does not mean it has to be shoved into the Half-Life series. If you want more Portal gameplay, then you can rest easy knowing that Valve will eventually give you it. But Half-Life is a different title altogether, and there's no point in forcing Portal into it for the sake of it.

While I'm sure we shall see nods to the technology, perhaps with some portal-themed areas, I strongly doubt that Gordon Freeman will ever come in direct control of the ASHPD.

 

[Crazy_killer]

mod of the hl engine????? um no

So i'm just hearing random voices? RIGHT, it was modified on certain area's.

nolifer. (6000 posts ahaha)

 

[giant384]

So i'm just hearing random voices? RIGHT, it was modified on certain area's.

nolifer. (6000 posts ahaha)

after 3 years on a forum....no surprise there.....


again Absinthe you dont think of what could be done you just keep telling us over and over how things wont work.

 

[Absinthe]

again Absinthe you dont think of what could be done you just keep telling us over and over how things wont work.

No, how about you think about what could be done because you're the one who wants the ASHPD in Episode 3 so badly. I don't, for reasons I explained.

Half-Life is a shooter. It needs to have enemies that you shoot for most of the game. Seeing as how it is extremely difficult to get NPCs to interact with portals, I don't see a place for it. The end result would be inferior to that of Portal's experience because of the way it would have to be limited and designed around.

Again, some form of portal gameplay elements may arise. But you will not have the gun. That will be limited to the Portal series. At least for the foreseeable future.

 

[ShadowX]

I think it's possible you will see Gordon in a new model, I mean think about it;

You NEVER saw Gordon in Half Life 1 (besides the cover of course), now imagine hearing that you are going to see him in Blue Shift or Opposing Force, you'd doubt it. It's the same thing here, it wouldn't be that unbelievable to see him through a portal. Plus I just want to play with the portal gun again. ;-)